Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in colour from dark grey, bright yellow, deep purple to rusty red. The iron itself is usually found in the form of Magnetite, Hematite, Goethite, Limonite or Siderite. Hematite is also known as "natural ore" which refers to the early years of mining when certain Hematite ores contained 66% iron and could be fed directly into iron making blast furnaces. Iron ore is the raw material used to make pig iron, which is one of the main raw materials used to make steel. It has been argued that iron ore is more integral to the global economy than any other commodity, except perhaps oil.
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