Steel Mill Raw Materials & Metallics Hub
Iron ore, coking coal, met coke, scrap, DRI/HBI & ferroalloys supply chain
Integrated blast furnace-basic oxygen furnace (BF-BOF) steel mills and Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) mini-mills require continuous, synchronized ocean arrivals of iron units, carbon reductants, and slag-forming fluxes. Producing one metric tonne of crude steel requires roughly 1.6 tonnes of iron ore, 0.6 tonnes of coking coal/coke, and 0.25 tonnes of recycled scrap or metallics. In an industry defined by thin operating margins and capital-intensive assets, feedstock consistency and demurrage control make the difference between profitability and loss.
CBIL structures direct physical brokerage connecting Tier-1 miners, coke batteries, and scrap yards with global steelmakers. Integrated with LaycanDesk, our maritime chartering arm fixes modern Geared Supramax, Ultramax, and Panamax tonnage under BIMCO and standard charterparties, enforcing strict IMSBC Code liquefaction controls for iron ore fines and nitrogen inerting protocols for DRI cargoes.
Procurement & Freight Structure
Dual-loop execution: physical commodity brokerage + ocean charterparty.
Unified commodity pricing and ocean freight indexation protects steel mill procurement budgets from volatile demurrage and spot freight spikes.
Procured Feedstocks & Maritime Profiles
Each raw material is contracted on chemical purity, physical particle sizing, and mandatory IMO/IMSBC code stowage factors to prevent liquefaction or contamination.
| Feedstock | Grade & Purity Spec | Form / Carriage | IMSBC Code | Stowage Factor | Typical Parcel | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iron Ore Fines & Blast Furnace Pellets | 62.0% – 65.0% Fe content | Sinter fines (-10mm) and indurated oxide pellets (9–16mm) | Group A | 14 – 18 cu.ft/MT (0.40 – 0.51 m³/t) | 50,000 – 75,000 MT (Ultramax / Panamax) | Spec →Ship → |
| Norwegian Dunite Olivine Slag Flux(Mg,Fe)₂SiO₄ | 48.0% – 50.0% MgO · Al₂O₃ ≤ 0.40% · LOI ≤ 0.80% | 0–3mm sinter feed or 10–40mm screened lump | Group C | 21 – 24 cu.ft/MT (0.60 – 0.68 m³/t) | 40,000 – 55,000 MT (Supramax / Ultramax) | Spec →Ship → |
| Premium Coking Coal & Met Coke | CSR 65–72% (Coal) / CSR 64–68% (Met Coke) | Run-of-mine washed coking coal / screened lump coke (30–80mm) | Group B | 45 – 52 cu.ft/MT (Coal) / 65 – 75 cu.ft/MT (Coke) (1.27 – 1.47 m³/t (Coal) / 1.84 – 2.12 m³/t (Coke)) | 45,000 – 75,000 MT (Panamax / Supramax) | Spec →Ship → |
| Heavy Melting Steel Scrap (HMS 1&2) | ISRI 200–206 (80:20 & 70:30 blends) | Heavy sheared scrap, structural steel, plates, and cut rebar | Group C | 45 – 55 cu.ft/MT (1.27 – 1.56 m³/t) | 28,000 – 45,000 MT (Geared Handysize / Supramax) | Spec →Ship → |
| Direct Reduced Iron & HBIFe (metalized) | 90% – 94% Fe Total / 84% – 88% Fe Metallic | Porous sponge iron pellets (DRI) or high-density hot briquettes (HBI) | Group B | 18 – 24 cu.ft/MT (HBI) / 24 – 28 cu.ft/MT (DRI) (0.51 – 0.68 m³/t) | 30,000 – 55,000 MT (Supramax / Handysize) | Spec →Ship → |
| Bulk Ferroalloys (FeCr, SiMn, FeSi) | FeCr 60% Cr min · SiMn 65/16 · FeSi 75% Si min | Lump 10–50mm / 10–100mm in 1 MT jumbo bags or bulk parcel | Group B | 20 – 28 cu.ft/MT (0.57 – 0.79 m³/t) | 5,000 – 20,000 MT (Handysize parcel / container liner) | Spec →Ship → |
| High-Calcium Limestone FluxCaCO₃ | ≥ 95.0% – 98.0% CaCO₃ (CaO ≥ 53.5%) | Screened metallurgical lump (10–40mm / 40–80mm) | Group C | 28 – 32 cu.ft/MT (0.79 – 0.90 m³/t) | 35,000 – 55,000 MT (Supramax / Handysize) | Spec →Ship → |
Iron Ore Fines & Blast Furnace Pellets
High-grade Australian and Brazilian hematite sinter fines and DR/blast furnace pellets with tight control over alumina (<1.5%), silica (<3.5%), and phosphorus (<0.06%).
Norwegian Dunite Olivine Slag Flux
Ultra-low alumina igneous magnesium iron silicate from Åheim, Norway. Replaces dolomite to lower blast furnace coke rates by 10–15 kg/tHM and suppress sinter RDI.
Premium Coking Coal & Met Coke
Hard coking coal (HCC) from Australia and North America offering high Coke Strength after Reaction (CSR), plus metallurgical coke for merchant blast furnace burdens.
Heavy Melting Steel Scrap (HMS 1&2)
Dense ferrous scrap for electric arc furnaces and BOF cooling. Strict ISRI specification verification excluding non-metallics, sealed cylinders, and radiation contamination.
Direct Reduced Iron & HBI
Gas-based direct reduced iron and Hot Briquetted Iron (HBI) with metallization above 92%. Essential low-residual feedstock for quality flat and special steel grades.
Bulk Ferroalloys (FeCr, SiMn, FeSi)
Submerged-arc furnace master alloys for deoxidation and alloying in ladle furnaces. Certified trace carbon, phosphorus, and sulphur limits.
High-Calcium Limestone Flux
Basic slag-forming limestone from Omani quarries for blast furnace burden and sinter mix, maintaining low SiO₂ (<1.2%) and alkalis.
Strategic Ocean Corridors & COA Fixtures
LaycanDesk coordinates dedicated bulk vessel chartering, hold protection dunnage, and loading/lightering logistics across these core industrial maritime trade lanes.
Turkey to Peru Finished & Semi-Finished Steel Lane
Turkish Black Sea / Marmara → Pisco & Callao (Peru)
Trans-Panama Canal bulk and breakbulk steel chartering delivering certified structural rebar and prime continuous casting billets directly to Peruvian steel stockists and rolling mills.
- ✓Guaranteed ASTM A615 Grade 60 & NTP 341.031 seismic mechanical compliance
- ✓Double timber dunnage athwartships & fore-and-aft tank-top point-load protection
- ✓Full Panama Canal Net Tonnage (PCNT) compliance and tropical fresh water draft planning
Norway to India Metallurgical Olivine Slag Flux Lane
Åheim / Raubergvik (Norway) → Tuticorin, Paradip & Visakhapatnam (India)
High-volume seaborne mineral flux corridor transporting ultra-low alumina Norwegian dunite olivine from Sibelco's Gusdal quarry to major Indian blast furnace steelworks.
- ✓Depolymerizes viscous high-alumina blast furnace slags without adding lime or CO₂
- ✓Eliminates endothermic dolomite calcination, cutting coke rate by 10–15 kg/tHM
- ✓Suppresses low-temperature sinter Reduction Degradation Index (RDI) below 22%
Misurata to Izmir Short-Sea Ferrous Scrap Corridor
Misurata Commercial & Steel Port (Libya) → Nemrut Bay / Aliaga (Turkey)
Dedicated short-sea Eastern Mediterranean recycling feeder moving certified heavy melting scrap directly to Aliaga electric arc furnace (EAF) steel mini-mills.
- ✓Rapid 2.5-day transit between the Gulf of Sirte and the Aegean Sea
- ✓Rigorous radiation monitoring (0.0 nSv/h baseline) and non-metallic exclusion
- ✓Continuous 4-gang grab discharge benchmarks at Nemrut Bay private berths
Ocean Chartering & Laycan Programme
Plant downtime and demurrage at loading/discharge terminals can rapidly exceed commodity trading margins. LaycanDesk synchronizes vessel size matching, Notice of Readiness (NOR) tenders, and continuous laytime tracking.
COA & Maritime Execution Rules
IMSBC Code Group A Moisture and Liquefaction Control
Iron ore fines are classified as Group A cargoes prone to liquefaction. Vessels fixed by LaycanDesk require valid Shipper's Declaration, Transportable Moisture Limit (TML) certificates, and can tests prior to loading.
DRI (Direct Reduced Iron) Inerting & Ventilation Standards
DRI (A) sponge iron requires hold inerting with nitrogen (O₂ <5%) and continuous hydrogen monitoring under IMSBC Schedule. HBI briquettes require dry holds and surface ventilation.
Draft Restrictions and Tides at Steel Jetties
Integrated steel mill terminals (e.g. Paradip, Taranto, Caofeidian) carry specific arrival draft limits. LaycanDesk ensures optimal vessel deadweight matching to avoid costly lightening or deadfreight.
Scrap Loading Trim and Grab Damage Protection
Heavy scrap loading requires experienced geared vessels with grab protection and proper hold padding to prevent internal tank-top puncture and guarantee 4-gang continuous discharge rates.
- • Tubarão & Ponta da Madeira (Brazil - Ore)
- • Port Hedland & Dampier (Australia - Ore)
- • Gladstone & Hay Point (Australia - Coking Coal)
- • Richards Bay & Saldanha Bay (South Africa - Ore & Coal)
- • Rotterdam, Hamburg & US East Coast (Scrap)
- • Salalah (Oman - Limestone)
- • China & East Asia (Qingdao, Caofeidian, Rizhao, Gwangyang, Kashima)
- • India West & East Coast (Paradip, Vizag, Hazira, Jaigad, Haldia)
- • Mediterranean & Middle East (Taranto, Fos-sur-Mer, Iskenderun, Sohar)
- • Northern Europe (Rotterdam, Ghent, Antwerp)
Frequently Asked Questions
Can CBIL quote bundled steelmaking raw material packages on CFR basis?
Yes. We frequently bundle iron ore fines, coking coal, and limestone flux for single mill off-takers, coordinating three distinct ocean fixtures under an aligned discharge laycan window.
What certifications accompany iron ore and coking coal shipments?
Every cargo is certified by independent marine inspection agencies (SGS, Bureau Veritas, or Alfred H. Knight) for full chemical composition, moisture content, particle size distribution, and calorific/CSR parameters.
How does LaycanDesk manage volatile demurrage exposure in bulk minerals?
LaycanDesk structures charterparties with tailored demurrage caps, reversible laytime options across multiple load/discharge ports, and clear weather working day (WWD SHINC) definitions to minimize mill detention costs.
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