Iron ore is one of the major components in the production of steel. It makes steel stronger. Most of the iron ore in India is used in steel making. After adding iron ore to steel, the steel becomes 100% recyclable.
What is Iron ore?
Iron ore is the raw form of iron, which is used to make crude iron. Later, the crude iron gets mixed into the steel, which makes it stronger. Iron ore is extracted for commercial purposes.
Iron ores are rich in iron oxides, which change the colour of the iron ore from dark grey to yellow. Sometimes, from dark purple to rusty red.
Types of Iron ore in India
There are four types of iron ore in India, based on colour, quality, quantity, and region of growth. These types are the following :
- Haematite
- Magnetite
- Limonite
- Siderite
1. Hematite
The haematite type of iron ore is reddish in colour. They are considered the best quality iron ore in India. It contains 70% of the metallic content. It is generally found in Peninsular India, such as the Dharwad and Cuddapah Rock systems.
The states which are rich in haematite iron ore are Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, and Jharkhand.
2. Magnetite
Magnetite iron ore is black in colour. It contains less metallic content than haematite, that is 62% to 70%. Magnetite iron ore was named after the quality of magnets in the iron ore. It has a magnetic quality. Rajasthan, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Kerala, among others, are magnetite iron ore-rich states in India.
3. Limonite
This type of iron ore was named after the colour. The colour of this iron ore is either lime green or yellow. It contains 40% to 60% of the iron metal. It is easy to extract. The famous and rich fields for limonite iron ore are Raniganj in West Bengal, Garhwal in Uttarakhand and Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh.
4. Siderite
Siderite is considered a "bad quality iron ore." It contains less iron metal. Siderite contains less than 40% of the iron metal. This type of iron ore also contains many impurities, which creates issues during mining and cleaning.
Uses of iron ore in India
Iron ore is considered as one of the most important ingredients, when making articles. Iron ore is used as a primary object, which gets mixed with steel to make it stronger. It is also used in railway tracks and many heavy machineries.
Last Updated on : March 13, 2026
