Iron ore is the primary raw material in the voestalpine Group and provides the basis for a variety of products with customised material properties. Iron ore is converted by reduction in the blast furnace to high-quality hot metal, a product which serves as the basis for all steelmaking processes. The criteria for the sale and processing of iron ore are iron and acidic content of the ore, among other important properties. Another important characteristic are the various grain sizes that play an essential role in the sintering process and in the blast furnace.
The ores are transported and stored separately according to different types in order to avoid a degradation in the quality of the material. The size of storage facilities is selected such that the average storage time does not exceed 1 to 1.5 months.
Twenty-five percent of the amount is mined in the Austrian Erzberg. The rest is imported from the CIS region, South Africa and Brazil.
