Manganese is used in steel making, not iron ore, iron ore is mined just like manganese ore and it is the main component in making steel, manganese is added in the process to enhance some characteristics of the final product.
Happy to clarify that, here is a good article from Wikipedia for further information.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manganese.
A few months back when the market conditions started to decline, there was a decrease in the iron ore exported from Port Hedland, and there were concerns about a collapse in manganese prices etc, as it turned out, this never eventuated, manganese prices although at a low at the moment, has been stable for some months now, showing little fluctuation and good deal of consolidation.
Cheers!
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