Mining in Luxembourg

Mining in Luxembourg mostly refers to the extraction of iron ores, known as Minette.

These iron ores were already known during Roman times, but the technological capabilities to exploit them did not yet exist.

After reaching a peak production of around 8 million tons in the 1950s, mining declined sharply from the 1960s onwards.

The economic viability of Luxembourgish Minette was relatively weak compared to the iron ore deposits of the Briey Basin in France or those in Scandinavia or Brazil (25-32%) and had a high phosphorus content.

Minette was exported for decades to Germany, the Saarland, France, and Belgium.