India: NMDC's iron ore rake movements fall by over 10% m-o-m in Jun'26

• Dispatches to RINL fall 24% as steelmaker diversifies sourcing
  
  
• JSOL's intake declines sharply amid bulk pellet procurement
  
  

The National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC), India's largest iron ore miner, dispatched 563 rakes from its Chhattisgarh mines in June 2026, equivalent to 2.17 million tonnes (mnt) of iron ore.

The number of rakes dispatched dropped 10.8% compared to 563 rakes (2.17 mnt) in June, as per BigMint data. Y-o-y, dispatches in June surged by 17% compared with 481 rakes in June 2025. NMDC's rake movements increased to the state-based buyers, whereas supplies to the neighbouring state-based mills dropped, weighing on overall figures.

Notably, these volumes are for rake movements within Chhattisgarh and to other state-based units but exclude supply to AM/NS India through the slurry pipeline. Each rake carries around 3,850 t of iron ore.

Meanwhile, NMDC's monthly iron ore output touched 5.15 million tonnes (mnt) in June, easing 3% from 4.64 mnt in April. Monthly sales edged down by 1% to 3.98 mnt in June against 4.04 mnt in May.

Sourcing by Chhattisgarh-based units rises

NMDC dispatched 185 (0.71 mnt) iron ore rakes to Chhattisgarh-based units in June, an uptick of 7.6% as against 172 (0.66 mnt) in May. Supplies to its own Nagarnar-based facility increased, with 110 rakes in June against 89 rakes in May 2026, driving the overall volume higher. However, dispatches to other state-based plants declined m-o-m.

Sourcing by units outside Chhattisgarh drops 18% m-o-m

Overall, NMDC's iron ore movements to plants outside Chhattisgarh dropped by 17.6% to 378 rakes in June against 459 in the previous month.

Intake by Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL), the leading buyer, fell by 24% to 135 rakes against 178 in the previous month, with the steelmaker procuring material from other sources.

Iron ore rakes to JSW Steel's Dolvi plant in June fell to 83 rakes against 110 rakes in the previous month. Some bookings were made from Odisha and Maharashtra, which led to the drop in sourcing from NMDC.

Dispatches to KIOCL climbed back to 68 rakes in June against 13 rakes, primarily due to some active deal closures in the pellet export market.

Dispatches to Jindal Steel Odisha Limited (JSOL) fell to merely 3 rakes in June against 61 rakes in May. As per sources, following NMDC's iron ore price hike in June, JSOL sourced raw materials from Odisha at more competitive prices. The company also procured bulk pellet volumes from local plants during the month.

Outlook

NMDC's iron ore rake movements in July are expected to remain largely in line with June volumes. Moreover, mills' preference for pellets during the monsoon may pressure demand and, by extension, dispatches.