# Kumba third-quarter iron ore output falls 19%

> Production declined to 7.5 million tonnes while sales rose 3%; 2026 output guidance was maintained.

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- Publisher: Newsverum
- Section: Economy
- Country: South Africa
- Published: 2026-10-21T15:31:12+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-21T15:31:12+00:00
- Event / data period: 2026-09
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Kumba Iron Ore reported that production in the third quarter of 2026 fell 19% year over year to 7.5 million tonnes. Output was affected by a planned shutdown of the dense-media separation plant at Sishen for the main tie-in of its UHDMS project.

The company said quarterly sales rose 3% to 9.955 million tonnes and closing stock stood at 4.8 million tonnes. It maintained its 2026 production guidance of 31–33 million tonnes; that range is a full-year forecast, not output already achieved.

## Data

### Kumba third-quarter iron ore output falls 19%

Methodology: Based on the company’s third-quarter report dated 20 October 2026. Mt means million metric tonnes; quarterly production, sales and stock are reported results. The 31–33 Mt range is a full-year 2026 forecast. Ore volumes are wet metric tonnes as stated by the source; Q3 flows cover July–September and stock is at period end.

| label | value | unit | period | basis | period_start |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 production | 7.5 | million tonnes | 2026-09 | observed | 2026-07 |
| Q3 2026 sales | 9.955 | million tonnes | 2026-09 | observed | 2026-07 |
| Closing stock at 30 September 2026 | 4.8 | million tonnes | 2026-09 | observed |  |
| 2026 full-year production guidance lower bound | 31 | million tonnes | 2026 | forecast |  |
| 2026 full-year production guidance upper bound | 33 | million tonnes | 2026 | forecast |  |

Sources: <https://www.angloamericankumba.com/media/press-releases/2026/20-10-2026> · Download data: [JSON](https://newsverum.com/api/v1/articles/kumba-q3-iron-ore-output-falls-2026/data/kumba-q3-results?lang=en&format=json) · [CSV](https://newsverum.com/api/v1/articles/kumba-q3-iron-ore-output-falls-2026/data/kumba-q3-results?lang=en&format=csv)

## Sources

- [Kumba Iron Ore](<https://www.angloamericankumba.com/media/press-releases/2026/20-10-2026>) (Source checked: 2026-10-21; Published: 2026-10-20)

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