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    Razorback magnetite and green steel: DR-grade design notes for mine planners

    February 1, 2026|

    Reviewed by Joe Ashwell

    Razorback magnetite and green steel: DR-grade design notes for mine planners

    First reported on Australian Mining

    30 Second Briefing

    Magnetite Mines is advancing its Razorback magnetite project in South Australia to supply high-grade iron ore concentrate tailored for low-emissions and green steel production, targeting direct reduction (DR) pellet and pellet feed markets. The company is ramping up global partnerships with downstream steelmakers and technology providers to align Razorback’s product specifications with DR furnace and hydrogen-based steelmaking requirements. For mine planners and process engineers, this signals growing demand for consistent, low-impurity magnetite concentrates optimised for DR-grade pellets rather than traditional blast furnace sinter feed.

    Technical Brief

    • Ore beneficiation will rely on magnetite concentration rather than hematite DSO, implying higher comminution and separation energy demand.
    • Concentrate quality control is central, with tight impurity limits (notably silica, alumina, phosphorus) to meet premium specifications.
    • Process design must manage very finely disseminated magnetite, favouring staged grinding and magnetic separation over coarse upgrading.
    • Water and power supply for large-scale grinding and separation are likely to be key infrastructure constraints in arid South Australia.
    • Downstream engagement with steelmakers and technology vendors is being used to back-calculate required grind size and liberation targets.
    • Similar magnetite projects in the Braemar corridor will likely benchmark Razorback’s flowsheet choices and product specification envelope.

    Our Take

    Within the 102 iron ore pieces in our database, Razorback is one of relatively few Australian projects framed explicitly around 'green steel', signalling that Magnetite Mines is positioning its magnetite product for emerging low‑carbon steelmaking routes rather than just traditional blast furnace supply.

    Set against expansion moves like Atlas Iron’s Sanjiv Ridge Stage 2 in the Pilbara (30 January 2026), a South Australian iron ore project such as Razorback could offer geographic and infrastructure diversification for downstream steelmakers looking to reduce reliance on Pilbara‑style hematite supply.

    Because Razorback is in South Australia rather than Western Australia, Magnetite Mines will be navigating a different approvals and power-market environment, which may make it easier to secure high-renewables electricity contracts that are critical for marketing iron ore into green steel value chains.

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    Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.

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