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.