Great Lakes Limestone Trade Down in September

Oct. 21, 2022 – The lakes may be great, but the month of September wasn’t. Shipments of limestone on the Great Lakes totaled 3.5 million tons in September, a decrease of 3.7% compared to a year ago, according to the Lake Carriers’ Association. Limestone cargos were below the month’s five-year average by 2.7%. Loadings from U.S. quarries totaled 2.9 million tons, a decrease of 5.4% from 2021. Shipments from Canadian quarries totaled 675,023 tons, a decrease of 1.3%. Year-to-date the limestone trade stands at 21.1 million tons, a near match compared to a year ago. Loadings from Michigan and Ohio quarries total 16.7 million tons, an increase of less than 1%. Shipments from Ontario quarries total 4.4 million tons, a decrease of 3.4%.