Open consultation on methodology review for Fastmarkets’ iron ore indices

Fastmarkets is inviting feedback from the industry on the pricing methodology for its iron ore indices, as part of its announced annual methodology review process.

The prices subject to this annual review are as follows:
MB-IRO-0016 Iron ore 58% Fe fines high-grade premium, cfr Qingdao
MB-IRO-0017 Iron ore 58% Fe fines high-grade premium index, cfr Qingdao
MB-IRO-0015 Iron ore 58% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao
MB-IRO-0021 Iron ore 62% Fe fines, % Al2O3 VIU, cfr Qingdao
MB-IRO-0018 Iron ore 62% Fe fines, % Fe VIU, cfr Qingdao
MB-IRO-0020 Iron ore 62% Fe fines, % Si VIU, cfr Qingdao
MB-IRO-0024 Iron ore 62% Fe fines, 0.01% P VIU, cfr Qingdao
MB-IRO-0008 Iron ore 62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao
MB-IRO-0022 Iron ore 62% Fe fines, fot Qingdao
MB-IRO-0011 Iron ore 62% Fe fines, fot Qingdao
MB-IRO-0144 Iron ore 62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao
MB-IRO-0010 Iron ore 62.5% Fe Australia-origin lump ore premium, cfr Qingdao
MB-IRO-0012 Iron ore 65% Fe blast furnace pellet, cfr Qingdao
MB-IRO-0009 Iron ore 65% Fe Brazil-origin fines, cfr Qingdao
MB-IRO-0019 Iron ore 65% Fe fines, % Fe VIU, cfr Qingdao
MB-IRO-0189 Iron ore 65% Fe concentrate premium, cfr Qingdao
MB-IRO-0013 Iron ore 65% Fe concentrate, cfr Qingdao
MB-IRO-0177 Iron ore pellet premium over 65% Fe Brazil-origin fines, cfr China
MB-IRO-0187 Iron ore 67.5% Fe pellet feed premium, cfr Qingdao
MB-IRO-0188 Iron ore 67.5% Fe pellet feed, cfr Qingdao

This consultation, which is open until April 7, 2025, seeks to ensure that our methodologies continue to reflect the physical market under indexation, in compliance with the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) principles for Price Reporting Agencies (PRAs). This includes all elements of our pricing process, our price specifications and publication frequency.

You can find the current methodology for Fastmarkets’ iron ore indices here.

Please send responses in writing, preferably in electronic format, to the following address: pricing@fastmarkets.com. Please add the subject heading “FAO: Alice Li, re: Iron ore indices methodology annual review, 2025.” Please specify whether your response is confidential. Opinions offered in confidential responses may be referenced but will not be attributed in any way.

Fastmarkets will publish the outcome of this methodology review by April 10, 2025, including a summary of the feedback, with the exception of those responses marked as confidential. Any proposals to make material changes, discontinue or launch prices will involve a separate market consultation, the length of which will depend on how substantial the change is.

To see all Fastmarkets’ pricing methodology and specification documents, go to https://www.fastmarkets.com/methodology.

What to read next
The following prices were affected: MB-GRA-0049 Green petroleum coke, 1.5% S, cif India, $/tonne MB-GRA-0050 Green petroleum coke, 1.5% S, in-whs ARA, $/tonne These prices are a part of the Fastmarkets industrial minerals package. For more information or to provide feedback on the delayed publication of these prices or if youwould like to provide price […]
Fastmarkets has corrected its CBAM Certificate Builder, €/tCO2e price for June 23 and 24 and CBAM Certificate Index, €/tCO2e for June 22, 23, and 24 due to an error in the EUA auction volume calculations.
Fastmarkets has launched four price assessments for Polish virgin kraftliner and white-top testliner on Thursday June 25.
Fastmarkets has amended the minimum tonnage in its aluminium P1020A(MJP), cif Japan, spot premium assessment to 500 tonnes from 100 tonnes, effective June 25, 2026.
Fastmarkets has amended its publication calendar to show that the daily southern yellow pine (SYP) price will be published on Tuesday June 30, which had previously been marked as a non-publishing day.
Fastmarkets proposes to introduce a dynamic volume weighting of trader and smelter purchases in the final index calculation, adjusted weekly based on reported price and volume data over a rolling six-month period. The proposed change affects only the weighting between traders’ and smelters’ purchases to calculate the copper concentrates TC/RC index, cif Asia Pacific. Currently, Fastmarkets applies a fixed 50:50 weighting for […]