GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION

The iron ore consumed by the world has been obtained principally from the four great iron-producing countries: United States, Germany, France and Great Britain.

Other countries that yield important quantities of iron ore are, in the order of their importance: Spain, Russia, Sweden, Luxemburg, Austria-Hungary, Cuba, Newfoundland, and Algeria. The normal annual output in each one of these countries is more than one million tons. Minor amounts of iron ore are produced in many other countries.

Table 11.—Iron-Ore Output of Principal Producing Countries, 1910-1917, in Gross Tons[12]

Country19101911191219131914191519161917
North America:
Canada[13]231,623187,807192,753274,673218,620355,457245,693192,210
Cuba[13]1,462,4981,163,7141,397,7971,582,431821,110827,448712,716553,485
Newfoundland[13]1,108,7621,171,9921,251,9681,433,858566,000775,403903,625788,820
United States57,014,90643,876,55255,150,14761,980,43741,439,76155,526,49075,167,67275,288,851
South America:
Chile...28,1506,54613,87862,506144,78355,2814,921
Venezuela[14]......12,10057,2252,400
Europe:
Austria-Hungary4,592,5724,779,8514,997,3115,233,0553,939,248[15]1,218,367([16])([16])
Belgium121,024148,130164,734147,04881,0634,64629,95116,732
France14,375,98416,376,96718,858,66821,572,835([16])([16])([16])([16])
Germany[17]28,257,579[17]29,408,812[17]33,180,25826,771,598([16])([16])([16])([16])
Greece527,040493,106424,835308,640294,573154,95183,64762,366
Italy542,578367,900572,900593,618695,124669,262927,406978,174
Luxemburg([18])([18])([18])7,215,5144,926,9806,040,7656,643,6894,436,682
Norway100,834217,051401,665535,869641,790706,379865,700([16])
Portugal3,30719,23328,94748,3926,532([16])([16])([16])
Russia([19])([19])([19])7,947,191([16])([16])([16])([16])
Spain8,530,3108,635,523[20]8,990,7439,703,1776,710,3575,527,5525,762,7335,461,857
Sweden5,465,2346,056,8686,595,0447,357,8456,482,9046,774,9096,876,2786,119,263
United Kingdom15,226,01515,519,42413,790,39115,997,32814,867,58214,235,01213,494,65814,845,734
Asia:
China[21]130,472[21]109,542[21]201,561[22]416,342[22]488,258537,047274,078299,465
Chosen (Korea)104,62796,902121,224139,370179,062206,510241,412([16])
India54,626366,212580,029370,845441,674390,270411,758413,273
Japan132,921144,001168,479168,897134,193133,933156,263([16])
Philippine Islands148216347546392([16])([16])([16])
Africa:
Algeria1,048,2281,057,0871,171,2521,327,3201,097,101805,547923,5981,048,722
Morocco186,149([16])([16])...............
Madagascar([23])([23])22
Natal50.....................
Togoland([16])394([16])
Tunis327,756397,638470,866584,649244,528281,304361,593596,261
Australia:157,821122,361113,989[24]90,712177,938370,887390,108[25]328,310

[12] Burchard, E. F., “Iron Ore, Pig Iron and Steel”: U. S. Geol. Survey “Mineral Resources,” 1915 and 1917, with additions and revisions. (The above figures are, so far as possible, based on official reports and, where these are lacking, on the technical press.)

[13] Shipments.

[14] Exports to United States.

[15] For Hungary only.

[16] Statistics not available.

[17] Includes Luxemburg.

[18] Included in Germany.

[19] Russia produced 2,936,024 long tons of pig iron in 1910; 3,536,417 long tons in 1911, and 4,131,890 long tons in 1912.

[20] Includes 1,563 long tons of argentiferous iron ore.

[21] Exports.

[22] From Tayeh deposits only.

[23] Madagascar produced about 8 long tons of iron in 1910 and 1.5 long tons in 1911.

[24] For South Australia and Queensland.

[25] For South Australia only.

Table 12.—Pig Iron Manufactured in Principal Countries in 1850, 1890, 1900, and 1910 to 1916, in Gross Tons[26]

Country18501890190019101911191219131914[27]1915[27]1916[28]
United States563,7559,202,70313,789,24227,303,56723,649,54729,726,93730,966,15223,332,24429,916,21339,434,797
Germany350,0004,584,8828,381,37314,559,50915,404,64817,586,52119,004,02214,162,14711,603,87413,000,000
Great Britain2,300,0007,904,2148,959,69110,217,0229,718,6388,889,12410,481,9179,005,8988,793,6599,047,983
France405,6531,931,1882,669,9663,974,4784,309,4984,870,9135,227,3783,500,0004,000,0005,000,000
Russia227,555912,5612,889,7892,992,0583,531,8074,133,0004,474,7574,190,0003,638,0004,300,000
Austria-Hungary250,000910,6851,472,6952,153,7882,056,8392,276,1412,335,1701,500,0001,929,0002,000,000
Belgium144,452775,3851,001,8721,822,8212,072,8362,307,8532,318,7671,500,000500,0001,000,000
Canada...19,43986,090740,210824,368912,8781,015,118705,972825,4201,069,541
Sweden150,000483,155518,263594,385624,367688,757728,103629,608755,000750,000
Spain...176,598289,315367,423402,209396,872418,061400,000421,000440,000
Italy...14,09423,569347,657298,144373,960420,011379,028389,000454,923
Japan.........186,794200,000200,709236,491295,428312,957379,574
Other countries[28]10,00080,000100,000200,000250,000350,000250,000200,000200,000500,000
Total4,401,41526,994,90440,181,86565,459,71263,342,90172,713,56577,876,34759,800,32563,284,12377,000,000

[26] “Metal Statistics,” 1914 to 1918, with some additions and changes.

[27] Partly estimated.

[28] Largely estimated.

More than two-fifths of the total annual output of iron ore in the world has come from the United States, and of the American production more than 80 per cent. is generally produced in the Lake Superior district. This district is, therefore, by far the most important iron-ore district in the world, producing annually more than 30 per cent. of the world’s total of iron ore.

Germany and France have been next in importance to the United States as iron ore-producing countries, about 80 per cent. of the ore mined in these two countries being obtained from the Lorraine iron fields situated on the border. The annual output of these fields, which includes also the ores of Luxemburg, has been about 25 per cent. of the world’s production. The Lorraine district and the Lake Superior district together, therefore, produce somewhat more than one-half of the total iron ore annually mined in the world.

The iron ore produced in Great Britain is obtained mainly from the Cleveland district of northern England, this district furnishing about 40 per cent. of the British total, equivalent to about 2.6 per cent. of the world’s annual production. In comparison, the Birmingham district of Alabama and the Krivoi-Rog district of southern Russia, which are next in importance to the Lorraine and Lake Superior districts, furnish about 3.5 per cent. and 3.2 per cent., respectively, of the world’s annual production.

Table 13.—Production and Movement of Iron Ore and Production of Pig Iron, 1913[29]
Gross Tons

Production
of
iron ore		Iron ore
imports		Iron ore
exports		Apparent
consumption
(in part
stocks)		Production
of
pig iron
United Kingdom15,997,3288,028,53221,22324,004,63710,260,315
Canada307,6342,110,828126,1242,292,3381,015,118
Belgium149,4504,400,000...4,549,4502,484,690
France19,160,4071,410,42410,066,62710,504,2645,311,316
Italy603,1167,66620,000590,772426,755
Russia8,077,000...565,0007,512,0004,557,000
Austria3,039,324942,312106,0713,875,5651,757,864
Hungary2,059,000...700,0001,359,000623,000
Germany (including Luxemburg)35,941,28514,019,0452,613,15847,347,17219,291,920
Spain9,861,668...8,907,202954,466424,774
Sweden7,475,571...6,440,0001,035,571730,257
United States61,980,4372,594,770...64,575,20730,966,152
Algeria1,349,000...1,350,000
Chile70,000...65,000
Cuba1,500,000...1,582,431
Newfoundland1,605,900...1,605,920

[29] Advisory Council, Dept. of Sci. and Indust. Research: “Report on the sources and production of iron and other metalliferous ores used in the iron and steel industry,” London, 1918, p. 12.

[Table 11] shows the world’s production of iron ore from 1910 to 1917.

[Table 12] shows the production of pig iron in 1850, 1890, 1900, and 1910 to 1916.

[Table 13] shows the production and movement of iron ore and the production of pig iron for the year 1913.