NMDC mined 5.04 million tonnes of iron ore in October 2026, up 18% on a year earlier and a full million tonnes more than in September. Sales went the other way, falling 11.6% to 3.44 MT. For anyone running drills, excavators and dump trucks on iron ore benches in Chhattisgarh or Karnataka, both numbers matter: one says the pits are busy, the other says ore is piling up faster than it leaves.
The figures
- October 2026 production: 5.04 MT against 4.27 MT in October 2025, up 18%.
- October 2026 sales: 3.44 MT against 3.89 MT, down 11.6%.
- April to October production: 32.32 MT against 26.47 MT, up 22%. Sales for the period fell about 1.7% to 25.67 MT.
- By state in October: Chhattisgarh 3.36 MT (3.06 MT a year ago), Karnataka 1.68 MT (1.21 MT).
What NMDC reported
The state miner filed its provisional October numbers with the exchanges on 2 November. InvestyWise and Indian Masterminds both reproduced the full table and agree on every figure; SteelOrbis carried the same growth rates. The numbers tie: the 27.27 MT NMDC produced from April to September plus October’s 5.04 MT gives the 32.32 MT year-to-date total, give or take rounding, and the two state rows add up to the monthly totals. The filing gives no reason for the drop in sales.
What moved against last month?
Output jumped from 4.04 MT in September to 5.04 MT, about 25% in a month. That is the dry season arriving in Bailadila, where most of NMDC’s tonnage comes from, after a monsoon that slows blasting and turns haul roads soft. Karnataka grew faster in percentage terms, up nearly 39% on last October, though from a smaller base.
Sales barely moved from September’s 3.51 MT. So in October alone, production ran about 1.6 MT ahead of dispatch, and over seven months the gap is about 6.65 MT. Some of that may be timing, but it looks like stock building at the mines.
The bigger number is the target. NMDC’s chairman, Amitava Mukherjee, has said the company aims for about 60 MT this year. With 32.32 MT done, it needs roughly 5.5 MT a month from November to March. October’s 5.04 MT is still about 10% short of that, and the seven-month average is only 4.6 MT.
Our read: NMDC will push hard on volume through the dry months whether or not it hits 60 MT. That means more drilling, loading and hauling hours at the faces, and steady demand for hydraulic excavators, rock breakers for oversize, dozers and rear dump trucks. The growing gap between mined and sold ore adds a second kind of work. Stockpiles have to be built, shaped and later reclaimed, which is wheel loader and tipper time at the stockyard rather than at the face. Contractors chasing this work should note that NMDC is also spending on mine infrastructure, such as the Bacheli township contract we reported last month.
What could shift it
- November output: a figure near 5.5 MT would put 60 MT back in play; another month around 5 MT would not.
- Sales: if dispatch stays near 3.5 MT, the stock at the mines keeps growing and NMDC may ease production rather than add to it.
- Steel demand and rail rake supply from Bailadila, which decide how fast stockpiled ore can move.
FAQ
How much iron ore did NMDC produce in October 2026?
5.04 million tonnes, up 18% from 4.27 MT in October 2025. These are provisional figures from the company’s exchange filing.
Why did NMDC’s sales fall while production rose?
The filing does not say. October sales were 3.44 MT against 5.04 MT mined, so about 1.6 MT more ore was produced than dispatched, which points to stock building at the mines or dispatch timing.
Is NMDC on track for 60 MT in FY27?
Not yet. It has 32.32 MT after seven months and needs about 5.5 MT a month from November to March, well above October’s 5.04 MT.
Related on DesiMachines: Coal India October 2026 production up 19.3% to 67.2 MT
Source: SteelOrbis
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