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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, or deep purple to rusty red. Iron ore is the raw material used to make pig iron, which is one of the main raw materials to make steel—98% of the mined iron ore is used to make steel.

In India, Magnetite and Haematite are the primary source for iron ores, with the chemical formula Fe₃O₄ and Fe₂O₃ respectively.

Magnetite gets its name from its magnetic property. It is ferrimagnetic; it is attracted to a magnet and can be magnetized to become a permanent magnet itself. It is the most magnetic of all the naturally-occurring minerals on Earth. Naturally-magnetized pieces of magnetite, called lodestone, will attract small pieces of iron, which is how ancient peoples first discovered the property of magnetism.

Haematite, also spelled as hematite, gets its name from Greek word haem meaning blood red, due to the red coloration found in some varieties. Hematite's popularity in jewelry was at its highest in Europe during the Victorian era.

In prehistory and protohistory,  a period of time is clearly marked when the dominant tool making material was iron and so this period is known as ‘Iron age’. Meteoric iron has been used by humans since at least 3200 BC. Ancient iron production did not become widespread until the ability to smelt iron ore, remove impurities and regulate the amount of carbon in the alloy were developed. The start of the Iron Age proper is considered by many to fall between around 1200 BC and 600 BC, depending on the region.

At present, over 99 per cent of India's iron ore is produced by just five states of Karnataka, Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Goa and Jharkhand. Karnataka is the largest producer and accounts for nearly one-fourth of the total iron ore produced in India. In Maharshtra Iron ore depositions are found in Sindhudurg, Southern part of Ratnagiri and Chandrapaur and Bhandara districts.

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