Serra Sul (S11D), Carajas: an iron ore operation in Brazil

Serra Sul (S11D), Carajas is an open-pit mine producing iron ore in Carajas, Para, Brazil, operated by Vale. The sources report 86.0 million metric tons (Mt), as printed in the 20-F iron ore production table; run-of-mine and feed for pelletizing plants; wet or dry not stated for CY2025; the basis is 100% of the complex, as reported by the owner and operator. Measured as usable ore, whole-operation output for CY2025 is 86,000,000 tonnes: about 3.3% of world iron ore output in 2025 and about 20% of Brazil's; it is one of 21 operations on this site whose output can be stated in usable ore.

Who owns and operates it?

Owners of Serra Sul (S11D), Carajas
Owner	Interest	As of
Vale (operator) The 20-F gives the ownership interest of the Northern System as 100% and the operator as Vale S.A.	100%	31 December 2025

Interests are as stated in the sources below on the date shown. Ownership changes with deals, so a stake may have changed since the date shown.

How much does it produce?

Reported output of Serra Sul (S11D), Carajas
Period	Output	Basis	Where in the source
CY2025	86.0 million metric tons (Mt), as printed in the 20-F iron ore production table; run-of-mine and feed for pelletizing plants; wet or dry not stated The 20-F gives an iron grade around 66% for the hematite ore type of Serra Norte, Serra Sul and Serra Leste.	100% of the complex, as reported by the owner and operator	printed p.47, Item 4, 1.1.2 Iron ore production table, row 'Serra Sul', 2025 column · Vale S.A.
CY2024	83.0 million metric tons (Mt), as printed in the 20-F iron ore production table; run-of-mine and feed for pelletizing plants; wet or dry not stated	100% of the complex, as reported by the owner and operator	printed p.47, Item 4, 1.1.2 Iron ore production table, row 'Serra Sul', 2024 column · Vale S.A.

Between CY2024 and CY2025 the reported figure rose by 3.6%, in the same unit and on the same basis.

How the usable-ore figure is worked out. Vale prints 86.0 million metric tons for the Serra Sul complex in 2025. Vale owns 100% of the Northern System and operates it. The unit is million metric tons as printed; the table does not say whether tonnes are wet or dry. World mine production of usable ore in 2025 was 2,600,000,000 tonnes (USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026); Brazil produced 420,000,000 tonnes.

Status: operating, as of 31 December 2025.

Vale's 20-F says its production figures include third-party ore purchases, run-of-mine and feed for pelletizing plants, so the table is not saleable product and the share is indicative. The complex rows add to Vale's own production of 304.9 Mt in 2025; the 20-F prints third-party purchases of 31.2 Mt separately, for a total of 336.1 Mt.
Vale describes the Northern System (Carajas, Para) as open pit mining of high-grade hematite with an iron grade around 66%; ore is railed on the Carajas railroad to the Ponta da Madeira maritime terminal.
The Serra Sul complex has one main mining area, the S11D mine, and one beneficiation plant, with ore shipped via a 101-kilometer railroad spur to the Carajas railroad.

How does it compare?

Other iron ore operations on this site: Hamersley mines (Rio Tinto Pilbara), Hope Downs (Rio Tinto and Hancock Prospecting), Robe River - Robe Valley, Robe River - West Angelas, Iron Ore Company of Canada (IOC), Simandou Blocks 3 and 4 (SimFer), Western Australia Iron Ore (WAIO), Fortescue Pilbara hematite operations, Iron Bridge (magnetite), Onslow Iron, Serra Norte, Carajas, Itabira complex. In Brazil: Serra Norte, Carajas, Itabira complex, Minas Centrais complex, Mariana complex, Vargem Grande complex, Paraopeba complex, Serra Leste, Carajas, Minas-Rio. See where iron ore comes from for the country totals, the country page for Brazil, and Vale for its other operations here.

Sources

Vale S.A.: Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended 31 December 2025 (annual report (SEC Form 20-F, filed 2026-03-27), CY2025 with 2024 and 2023 comparatives). Opened 4 November 2026; used: printed pp.43-47 (iron ore operations, production table); also printed pp.52, 103-104.
U.S. Geological Survey: Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Iron Ore (government statistical summary, 2025 (world and country mine production of usable ore)). Opened 3 November 2026; used: world and country mine production table, usable ore.

Method and limits

Reported, not estimated. Output is the figure the operator or owner published, in the unit it used. This site does not estimate output where none is published.
Shares. A share divides output in usable ore by the USGS world or country total for 2025. Where the operator's year is a fiscal year or the unit is a concentrate or a carbonate equivalent, the share is approximate or not given.
What is compared. Operators print tonnes of ore: saleable production for most, run-of-mine and pelletizing feed for Vale, and shipments for Fortescue and Onslow Iron, mostly as wet tonnes. The figure is compared with the USGS usable-ore total, which does not state a moisture basis, so the share is indicative.
Whole operation or owner's share. The basis column says which. A joint venture's output is never counted twice.
Partial list. Only operations with a published figure are listed, so the rank is among those on this site, not among every iron ore mine. Shares of a country's output mix periods and bases, so treat them as indicative.
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