Great Lakes Iron Ore Trade Rises 11.4% in October 2026
Shipments of iron ore on the Great Lakes increased 11.4 percent from last year to a total of 4.9 million tons. Shipments were 1.5 percent above the month’s 5-year average.
Year-to-date, the iron ore trade stands at 37.1 million tons, an increase of 3.5 percent compared to October 2025.
Through October, iron ore loadings are 5.2 percent below their 5-year average.
Great Lakes Iron Ore Shipments: October 2021-2026 and 5-Year Average | |||||||||||
Includes Transshipments to Quebec City for Shipment Overseas | |||||||||||
(net tons) | |||||||||||
| Average | ||||||||||
Port | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | 2021-2025 | ||||
Duluth, MN | 1,060,797 | 914,217 | 822,376 | 746,629 | 640,772 | 764,831 | 836,958 | ||||
Superior, WI | 1,018,883 | 996,996 | 1,380,093 | 1,100,593 | 1,073,027 | 867,738 | 1,113,918 | ||||
Two Harbors, MN | 1,624,862 | 1,537,717 | 1,468,272 | 1,368,259 | 1,122,837 | 1,510,489 | 1,424,389 | ||||
Silver Bay, MN | 794,873 | 245,824 | 395,524 | 341,480 | 401,977 | 363,269 | 435,936 | ||||
Marquette, MI* | 553,161 | 609,987 | 680,174 | 714,295 | 844,837 | 936,366 | 680,491 | ||||
Cleveland, OH** | 454,319 | 376,722 | 333,999 | 183,547 | 312,271 | 455,734 | 332,172 | ||||
Ashtabula, OH | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
Total | 5,506,895 | 4,681,463 | 5,080,438 | 4,454,803 | 4,395,721 | 4,898,427 | 4,823,864 | ||||
*Marquette = Presque Isle in previous reports | |||||||||||
**Transshipments within Cleveland Harbor |
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Year-To-Date 2021-2026 | |||||||||||
|
| Average | |||||||||
Port | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | 2021-2025 | ||||
Duluth, MN | 7,575,304 | 5,874,144 | 7,339,483 | 6,622,906 | 6,558,750 | 5,764,547 | 6,794,117 | ||||
Superior, WI | 9,779,988 | 9,290,087 | 10,188,622 | 9,258,804 | 7,270,409 | 6,829,072 | 9,157,582 | ||||
Two Harbors, MN | 12,450,614 | 11,220,742 | 12,278,641 | 12,526,661 | 10,718,283 | 10,960,592 | 11,838,988 | ||||
Silver Bay, MN | 4,894,874 | 1,526,442 | 2,559,167 | 3,608,595 | 3,244,191 | 2,946,897 | 3,166,654 | ||||
Marquette, MI* | 5,279,496 | 4,195,794 | 5,842,305 | 5,842,087 | 5,683,125 | 6,905,001 | 5,368,561 | ||||
Cleveland, OH** | 2,892,736 | 1,821,042 | 3,610,769 | 3,101,788 | 2,327,541 | 3,617,892 | 2,750,775 | ||||
Ashtabula, OH | 28,553 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34,181 | 5,711 | ||||
Total | 42,901,565 | 33,928,251 | 41,818,987 | 40,960,841 | 35,802,299 | 37,058,182 | 39,082,388 | ||||
Information based on data from knowledgeable sources. However, accuracy cannot be guaranteed. Lake Carriers’ Association assumes no legal responsibility for the outcome of decisions or commitments made on the basis of this information. Report represents the views of Lake Carriers’ Association and may not necessarily represent the views of its individual members.
