IBISWorld Platform
Answer any industry question in minutes with our entire database at your fingertips.
Metal and Mineral Wholesaling in Australia Industry Data and Analysis
The industry has expanded over the past few years on the back of higher commodity prices. Global supply disruptions resulting from the pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine conflict, along with supply constraints, caused prices for commodities like iron ore, nickel and coal to soar over the two years through 2021-22, benefiting wholesalers that serviced foreign buyers and stimulating a revenue expansion. While commodity prices have retracted from their peaks and driven down wholesalers' revenue in the following years, alumina and bauxite supply bottlenecks in China and Guinea have propelled alumina prices in late 2024, boosting Australia's alumina and aluminium export revenue and supporting wholesalers' performance in 2024-25. Heightened steel imports have also given domestic metal and mineral wholesalers an opportunity to source competitively priced grades from abroad, meeting domestic demand while supporting their growth. Revenue is anticipated to have risen at an annualised 1.8% over the five years through 2024-25, including an anticipated 1.8% climb in 2024-25, to $32.6 billion. However, as in most wholesaling industries, profit margins are very slim, and the highly volatile movements have made it hard for many wholesalers to sustain profitability. Larger wholesalers with robust risk-management strategies and supply agreements have adapted better. Meanwhile, smaller players have struggled amid volatile prices, which have caused some smaller wholesalers to exit the industry, resulting in a dip in the number of enterprises over the past five years.
Access this data your way
The Metal and Mineral Wholesaling in Australia Industry analysis is available in multiple formats to fit seamlessly into your workflow.
API Data Delivery
Feed trusted, human-driven industry intelligence straight into your platform.
Integrations
Streamline your workflow with IBISWorld’s intelligence built into your toolkit.
What's included in this industry analysis
IBISWorld's research coverage on the Metal and Mineral Wholesaling industry in Australia includes market sizing, forecasting, data and analysis from 2015-2030. The most recent publication was released May 2025.
About this industry
What's this industry report about?
The Metal and Mineral Wholesaling industry in Australia operates under the ANZSIC industry code F3322. Industry firms wholesale mineral and metal commodities. Industry firms also wholesale steel products, including pig iron, ingot steel and semi-fabricated products. These products can take the form of sheets, strips, bars, rods, sections, structural steel or tubes. Industry firms may also wholesale metal waste or scrap. Related terms covered in the Metal and Mineral Wholesaling industry in Australia include radio-frequency identification, ore, ferrous, non-ferrous metal and wholesale bypass.
What's included in this industry?
Products and services covered in Metal and Mineral Wholesaling industry in Australia include Alumina and aluminium, Iron ore and Coal.
What companies are included in this industry?
Companies covered in the Metal and Mineral Wholesaling industry in Australia include Glencore, Mitsui-Itochu Iron and CITIC Resources Australia.
Performance
What's included in the Performance chapter?
The Performance chapter covers detailed analysis, datasets, detailed current performance, sources of volatility and an outlook with forecasts for the Metal and Mineral Wholesaling industry in Australia.
Questions answered in this chapter include what's driving current industry performance, what influences industry volatility, how do successful businesses overcome volatility, what's driving the industry outlook. This analysis is supported with data and statistics on industry revenues, costs, profits, businesses and employees.
Products & Markets
What's included in the Products and Markets chapter?
The Products and Markets chapter covers detailed products and service segmentation and analysis of major markets for the for the Metal and Mineral Wholesaling industry in Australia.
Questions answered in this chapter include how are the industry's products and services performing, what are innovations in industry products and services, what products or services do successful businesses offer and what's influencing demand from the industry's markets. This includes data and statistics on industry revenues by product and service segmentation and major markets.
Geographic Breakdown
What's included in the Geographic Breakdown chapter?
The Geographic Breakdown chapter covers detailed analysis and datasets on regional performance of the Metal and Mineral Wholesaling industry in Australia.
Questions answered in this chapter include where are industry businesses located and how do businesses use location to their advantage. This includes data and statistics on industry revenues by location.
Competitive Forces
What's included in the Competitive Forces chapter?
The Competitive Forces chapter covers the concentration, barriers to entry and supplier and buyer profiles in the Metal and Mineral Wholesaling industry in Australia. This includes data and statistics on industry market share concentration, barriers to entry, substitute products and buyer & supplier power.
Questions answered in this chapter include what impacts the industry's market share concentration, how do successful businesses handle concentration, what challenges do potential industry entrants face, how can potential entrants overcome barriers to entry, what are substitutes for industry services, how do successful businesses compete with substitutes and what power do buyers and suppliers have over the industry and how do successful businesses manage buyer & supplier power.
Companies
What's included in the Companies chapter?
The Companies chapter covers Key Takeaways, Market Share and Companies in the Metal and Mineral Wholesaling industry in Australia. This includes data and analysis on companies operating in the industry that hold a market share greater than 5%.
Questions answered in this chapter include what companies have a meaningful market share and how each company is performing.
External Environment
What's included in the External Environment chapter?
The External Environment chapter covers Key Takeaways, External Drivers, Regulation & Policy and Assistance in the Metal and Mineral Wholesaling industry in Australia. This includes data and statistics on factors impacting industry revenue such as economic indicators, regulation, policy and assistance programs.
Questions answered in this chapter include what demographic and macroeconomic factors impact the industry, what regulations impact the industry, what assistance is available to this industry.
Financial Benchmarks
What's included in the Financial Benchmarks chapter?
The Financial Benchmarks chapter covers Key Takeaways, Cost Structure, Financial Ratios, Valuation Multiples and Key Ratios in the Metal and Mineral Wholesaling industry in Australia. This includes financial data and statistics on industry performance including key cost inputs, profitability, key financial ratios and enterprise value multiples.
Questions answered in this chapter include what trends impact industry costs and how financial ratios have changed overtime.
Industry Data
What's included in the Industry Data chapter?
The Industry Data chapter includes 10 years of historical data with 5 years of forecast data covering statistics like revenue, industry value add, establishments, enterprises, employment and wages in the Metal and Mineral Wholesaling industry in Australia.
Trusted by industry professionals
More than 6,000 businesses use IBISWorld to shape local and global economies
We were able to supplement our reports with IBISWorld’s information from both a qualitative and quantitative standpoint. All of our reporting now features some level of IBISWorld integration.
IBISWorld delivers the crisp business knowledge we need to drive our business. Whether it be serving up our major clients, winning new business or educating on industry issues, IBISWorld brings real value.
IBISWorld has revolutionised business information — which has proved commercially invaluable to exporters, investors and public policy professionals in Australia and overseas.
When you’re able to speak to clients and be knowledgeable about what they do and the state that they operate in, they’re going to trust you a lot more.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the market size of the Metal and Mineral Wholesaling industry in Australia in 2026?
The market size of the Metal and Mineral Wholesaling industry in Australia is $32.6bn in 2026.
How many businesses are there in the Metal and Mineral Wholesaling industry in Australia in 2025?
There are 1,596 businesses in the Metal and Mineral Wholesaling industry in Australia, which has declined at a CAGR of 0.1 % between 2020 and 2025.
How may import tariffs affect the Metal and Mineral Wholesaling industry in Australia?
The Metal and Mineral Wholesaling industry in Australia is unlikely to be materially impacted by import tariffs with imports accounting for a low share of industry revenue.
How may export tariffs affect the Metal and Mineral Wholesaling industry in Australia?
The Metal and Mineral Wholesaling industry in Australia is unlikely to be materially impacted by export tariffs with exports accounting for a low share of industry revenue.
Has the Metal and Mineral Wholesaling industry in Australia grown or declined over the past 5 years?
The market size of the Metal and Mineral Wholesaling industry in Australia has been growing at a CAGR of 1.8 % between 2020 and 2025.
What is the forecast growth of the Metal and Mineral Wholesaling industry in Australia over the next 5 years?
Over the next five years, the Metal and Mineral Wholesaling industry in Australia is expected to decline.
What are the biggest companies in the Metal and Mineral Wholesaling industry in Australia?
The biggest companies operating in the Metal and Mineral Wholesaling industry in Australia are Glencore, Mitsui-Itochu Iron and CITIC Resources Australia
What does the Metal and Mineral Wholesaling industry in Australia include?
Aluminium and aluminium alloy wholesaling and Copper and copper alloy wholesaling are part of the Metal and Mineral Wholesaling industry in Australia.
Which companies have the highest market share in the Metal and Mineral Wholesaling industry in Australia?
The company holding the most market share in the Metal and Mineral Wholesaling industry in Australia is Glencore.
How competitive is the Metal and Mineral Wholesaling industry in Australia?
The level of competition is high and steady in the Metal and Mineral Wholesaling industry in Australia.
Cut through the noise with intelligence you can trust
