What different metals does VALE mine and process?

**Bottom-line:** Vale is first and foremost the world’s largest iron-ore producer, but it also mines and processes nickel, copper, cobalt, and a handful of precious metals—positioning the company as a diversified supplier of “energy-transition metals.” 🚀🌍 --- ### 1. Core Commodities | Metal | Key Facts | Source | |-------|-----------|--------| | Iron ore | 336 million tonnes in 2025, highest since 2018 | | | Pellets & briquettes | Made from iron ore for direct steelmaking | | | Nickel | World’s largest Western-hemisphere producer; base metals division “more than doubled” EBITDA in 2025 | | --- ### 2. Growth Drivers | Metal | 2025 Output / Targets | Strategic Angle | Source | |-------|----------------------|-----------------|--------| | Copper | 382,000 tonnes (highest since 2018); CEO targets **doubling** over the next decade | Novo Carajas program to accelerate output | | | Cobalt | By-product of nickel processing | | | Gold & Silver | Minor by-products in nickel/iron operations | | | Platinum group metals (PGMs) | Traces in some streams | | --- ### 3. Sustainability & Innovation • Vale is phasing out water in Carajas beneficiation to eliminate tailings dams, aiming for 100 % dry processing by 2027 . • Copper recovery already sits at 94 % thanks to precision blasting and ore sorting . • All high-risk dams are gone by end-2025, and net debt fell to $15.6 billion . 🌱💧 --- ### 4. Why It Matters to Investors 1. **Diversified Revenue:** Iron ore remains the cash engine, but nickel and copper offer higher growth and better secular demand from EVs and renewables . 2. **Cost Advantage:** Iron-ore all-in costs at $54/ton and 35 % nickel cost cuts underpin resilient margins . 3. **ESG Progress:** Dam removals and dry processing reduce tailings risk—often a discount catalyst for Vale . --- Ready to dig deeper? Which of these metals—iron, nickel, or copper—do you think could unlock the next leg of upside for Vale, and why? 🤔⛏️