The benchmark July iron ore SZZFN5 on the Singapore Exchange edged 0.18% lower to $93.7 a ton.
Hot metal production, a gauge of iron-ore demand, inched up 0.24% to 2.422-million tons week-on-week, as of June 20, according to data from Chinese consultancy Mysteel.
"Volumes have stayed around 2.4-million tons since April, suggesting resilience in the world's largest steel market," ANZ analysts said.
Still, the steel market is pricing in expectations of weaker seasonal demand, Hexun Futures said in a note.
"Chinese prices for imported iron ore continued to dip during June 16 to 20, as the seasonal fall in steel consumption during summer undermined demand for the steelmaking material," said Mysteel in a separate note.
On the supply front, Rio Tinto, the world's largest iron ore producer, is entering a joint venture with Hancock Prospecting to develop the Hope Downs 2 project in Western Australia.
