First issue, 1912 — Duluth, Minnesota
What Is Skillings Mining Review? A Complete Guide
Skillings Mining Review is a mining industry intelligence publication founded in 1912 that covers mining markets, capital, critical minerals, technology, and policy. It is one of the longest continuously published trade publications in the United States. Here is what it is, what it covers, and how to access it.
Skillings Mining Review: The Short Answer
Skillings Mining Review is a mining industry intelligence publication founded in 1912 in Duluth, Minnesota. It reports on the markets, capital, technology, and policy that shape the global mining and metals industry, and it publishes today through a monthly magazine, a multi-weekly newsletter, a mining jobs board, and an online archive at skillings.net.
In short, Skillings Mining Review exists to answer one question for its readers: what is actually moving supply, capital, and risk in mining right now, and why does it matter? That question has stayed the same since 1912. Only the commodities in focus have changed.
Skillings Mining Review History in Brief: 1912 to Now
Skillings Mining Review began as Skillings’ Mining and Market Letter, a weekly dispatch covering iron ore prices, Lake Superior shipping, and labor conditions on Minnesota’s Mesabi and Vermilion ranges. Duluth was one of the busiest inland ports in the world at the time, and mine operators, shippers, and steel buyers needed a dedicated source of trade intelligence. No general newspaper offered that.
From Letter to Review
In 1916, the publication renamed itself Skillings’ Mining Review, reflecting a broader editorial scope as wartime demand pushed American mining production to new highs. Through the Great Depression, the Second World War, and the postwar boom, the publication expanded from a regional iron ore letter into a national mining trade publication covering copper, coal, uranium, and base metals.
A Global, Digital Platform
In 1993, the publication dropped the apostrophe from its name, becoming Skillings Mining Review — a signal that its coverage had outgrown its Duluth origins to track a genuinely global industry. Since then, it has moved from print to a digital intelligence platform, reaching a global subscriber base and more than 15,000 followers on LinkedIn. For a fuller account of this evolution, see the complete Skillings Mining Review history.
What Skillings Mining Review Covers
Skillings Mining Review covers the full range of forces that move the mining industry, not just spot prices. Its coverage areas include:
| Coverage Area | What This Includes |
|---|---|
| Critical minerals | Lithium, cobalt, nickel, rare earths, copper, graphite, and uranium supply chains and policy |
| Capital and markets | Mine finance, M&A activity, commodity pricing, and investor-relevant project news |
| Technology | Automation, electrification, exploration technology, and processing innovation |
| Policy | Trade policy, permitting, national security strategy, and government procurement affecting mining |
This coverage is distributed through a monthly magazine, a newsletter published multiple times per week, webinars and podcasts, and a global mining jobs board. According to the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Minerals Information Center, critical minerals have become a defining national security and supply-chain issue over the past decade, which is precisely the territory Skillings Mining Review was built to track.
Who Reads Skillings Mining Review
Skillings Mining Review is read by a range of professionals across the mining and metals value chain, including:
- Mining company executives tracking production trends, competitor activity, and project development.
- Investors and analysts monitoring capital flows, commodity cycles, and M&A activity.
- Engineers and geologists following technology and exploration developments.
- Policymakers and trade groups tracking critical minerals policy and supply-chain security.
- Suppliers and service providers to the mining industry, including equipment makers and logistics firms.
What Makes Skillings Mining Review Different From Generic Mining News
Generic mining news aggregates headlines. Skillings Mining Review does something different: it has covered the mining industry with the same editorial discipline for more than 110 years, through every major commodity cycle from iron ore to critical minerals. That gives it a depth of institutional context that a newly launched news site cannot replicate.
The editorial approach also differs. Rather than reporting every announcement, Skillings Mining Review focuses on what moves supply, capital, risk, and strategy — the stories that actually change decisions for operators, investors, and policymakers. Combined with a full historical archive, this makes it a reference point for understanding mining trends in context, not just in isolation.
How to Access Skillings Mining Review
Skillings Mining Review is available at skillings.net. Paid membership includes the 3× weekly newsletter, monthly magazine, global mining jobs board, and full archive access spanning every major commodity cycle since 1912.
Further Reading
Learn more about Skillings Mining Review and the industry it covers.
The complete story from its 1912 founding in Duluth through today’s critical minerals era.
What Skillings Mining Review stands for and what readers can expect from its coverage.
Lithium, rare earths, copper, and cobalt — the minerals reshaping global supply chains.
Full archive access, 3× weekly newsletter, monthly magazine, and mining jobs board.
Advertising, editorial inquiries, subscription support, and partnership questions.