Great Lakes Limestone Trade Up 9.4%

Shipments of limestone on the Great Lakes totaled 3.8 million tons in September, an increase of 9.4% compared to a year ago, according to latest figures from trade group the Lake Carriers’ Association (LCA). Limestone cargos were also above the month’s 5-year average by 4.5%.

Loadings from U.S. quarries totaled 3.1 million tons, an increase of 10.6% from 2023. Shipments from Canadian quarries totaled 678,580 tons, an increase of 4.2%, LCA said..

LCA data shows that year-to-date the limestone trade stands at 20.8 million tons, an increase of 1.8% compared to a year ago. Loadings from Michigan and Ohio quarries increased 2% to 16.7 million tons; while shipments from Ontario quarries increased less than 1% from 2023 to 4.1 million tons.