Mesabi Metallics fires first blast toward US iron ore comeback

NASHWAUK, Minn., July 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- American iron ore mining is growing. Mesabi Metallics Company LLC (Mesabi Metallics) today announced the successful completion of its first production blast, a defining milestone in the company's drive to become the first new iron ore mine and pellet plant built in Minnesota in fifty years, and an on-schedule step toward first pellet production later in the third quarter.

The blast used a 66-hole pattern and fractured approximately 211,000 tons of ore in a single shot which represents nearly half the total rock removed to carve Mount Rushmore. It opens the first ramp into the bottom of the pit, clearing the way for 400-ton haul trucks to move ore out of the ground for the first time.

"This first blast is the moment this project stops being about preparation and starts being about production," said Shane Holman, General Manager – Mine, Mesabi Metallics. "The ore we blasted today will be processed into some of the highest quality DR-grade pellets in the world."

"Every ton of ore that comes out of this mine represents American jobs, American investment, and American capability being put back to work, said Joe Broking CEO of Mesabi Metallics. We are committed to investing in the Iron Range to keep powering America's steel, America's shipyards, and America's defense industrial base."

The blast follows Mesabi Metallics' announcement on July 4th, America's 250th birthday, of the 'Patriot Pellet,' the brand for the highest quality DR-grade iron ore pellet produced entirely on the Iron Range. Patriot Pellet is a statement: American mines, American workers, and American steel should not be at the mercy of foreign supply chains. Every ton produced is a ton that does not need to be imported.

Mesabi Metallics expects weekly blasting to continue as the mine advances toward full-scale production, supplying the steel industry with high-quality DR-grade iron ore pellets from Minnesota's Iron Range.