Trade commodities in Australia
Australia is the world's largest exporter of iron ore, coal, LNG, and lithium, and a major exporter of gold, bauxite, wheat, and beef. The country's mining sector is dominated by global giants BHP, Rio Tinto, and Fortescue. Australia's commodity exports, primarily to Asia, are the backbone of its economy, and the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) lists more mining companies than any other exchange.
What Australia sells and buys.
Find the exporters and importers behind each commodity in the CTX Directory; verified members are marked, and every member carries a trust score.
Australia's commodity trade profile
Australia is the world's largest iron ore exporter (Pilbara mines: BHP, Rio Tinto, FMG, Hancock), largest LNG exporter (Gorgon, Wheatstone, Ichthys, Prelude, Pluto, NWS, APLNG, GLNG, QCLNG), largest spodumene/lithium exporter, largest metallurgical coal exporter, and a top thermal coal, copper, gold, alumina, and beef exporter. Receiver concentration is heavy: China takes the bulk of iron ore and lithium; Japan, Korea, Taiwan dominate LNG and coal.
How commodity trade works in Australia
ASX hosts soft commodity futures (wool, grain). The major mining houses self-clear price discovery against LME, IODEX, Newcastle benchmarks. Iron ore quarterly pricing collapsed to monthly index pricing in 2010: a structural shift led by Vale and the Pilbara majors. Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) approval governs foreign acquisition of Australian critical-mineral assets, increasingly tightened post-2022.
Trading with Australia counterparties
Payment customs: LC for new counterparties, open account for established. AUSTRAC sanctions and AML screening is rigorously enforced. Customs export controls on critical minerals (rare earths, certain lithium grades) tightening 2025-2026. Dispute resolution: ACICA (Australian Centre for International Commercial Arbitration) Sydney or Singapore SIAC.
Trading in Australia.
- Major ports
- Port Hedland
- Newcastle
- Gladstone
- Melbourne
- Dampier
- Hay Point
- Free trade zones
- Darwin Free Trade Zone (proposed)
- Western Australia Mining Hub (Pilbara)
- Queensland LNG Hub (Curtis Island)
- Key regulations
- Australia's Department of Home Affairs and Australian Border Force manage commodity trade. The Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) screens foreign investments in mining, and the country applies strict environmental regulations to mining and LNG projects under federal and state legislation.
Find the exporters and importers in Australia.
The CTX Directory maps the companies headquartered in Australia and the ones that buy from it, by commodity and role, with the decision-makers to unlock.
Find your counterparties in Australia.
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