Iron Ore and Limestone Trade Down in October
Shipments of iron ore on the Great Lakes totaled 4.5 million tons in October, a decrease of 12.3 percent compared to a year ago. Shipments were 10.1 percent below the month’s 5-year average. Year-to-date, the iron ore trade stands at 41 million tons, a decrease of 2.1 percent compared to the same point in 2023.
Through October iron ore loadings are 5.1 percent above their 5-year average for the January-October timeframe.
Meanwhile, shipments of limestone on the Great Lakes totaled 3.3 million tons in October, a decrease of 13.1 percent compared to a year ago. Limestone cargos were also below the month’s 5-year average by 9.6 percent.
Loadings from U.S. quarries totaled 2.7 million tons, a decrease of 8.4 percent. Shipments from Canadian quarries totaled 587,069 tons, a decrease of 29.7 percent.
Year-to-date the limestone trade stands at 24.2 million tons, a slight decrease compared to 2023. Loadings from Michigan and Ohio quarries total 19.5 million tons, a near match to last year. Shipments from Ontario quarries total 4.7 million tons, a decrease of 4.4 percent.
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