• ArcelorMittal Q1 iron ore output falls 3.2% to 9.7 million tons
• Liberia operations hit record output amid $1.8 billion expansion
• Company targets over 18 million tons shipped from Liberia 2026

ArcelorMittal produced 9.7 million metric tons of iron ore in the first quarter of 2026, down 3.2% from the fourth quarter of 2025. The decline was due to lower volumes in Canada, partially offset by higher output in Liberia, where the company is completing a major expansion.

In its operational and financial report, the company said its Liberian operations set a new quarterly record in both production and shipments. While it did not break down output between Canada and Liberia, the strong performance in West Africa had been partly expected. ArcelorMittal has committed $1.8 billion to Liberia to raise its annual production capacity from 5 million to 20 million metric tons.

That program includes upgrading the rail corridor linking Tokadeh to the port of Buchanan and ramping up a concentrator. The company said in its report that the ramp-up is ongoing, with the aim of increasing volumes of fines, a processed form of ore used in blast furnaces that typically commands a higher price. ArcelorMittal maintained its target of shipping more than 18 million metric tons of iron ore from Liberia in 2026.

In the first quarter, ArcelorMittal also extended its mining development agreement with the Liberian government through 2050. Under that agreement, the company paid $200 million to the state to secure mining rights and access to rail capacity being expanded to handle up to 30 million metric tons of ore per year. The company is also studying ways to increase production capacity beyond the current 20-million-ton ramp-up phase.

Emiliano Tossou