July Great Lakes Iron Ore Trade Increases Slightly
Shipments of iron ore on the Great Lakes totaled 5.1 million tons in July, an increase of less than one percent compared to 2025. Shipments were below the month’s 5-year average by 7.2 percent.
Year-to-date, the iron ore trade stands at 22.5 million tons, an increase of 3.3 percent compared to a year ago. Iron ore shipments were 5.2 percent below their 5-year average for the first seven months of the year.
Great Lakes Iron Ore Shipments: July 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 | 1,113,967 | 1,009,221 | 969,908 | 853,016 | 1,141,047 | 885,915 | 1,017,432 |
Superior, WI | 1,383,365 | 1,528,578 | 1,331,525 | 1,479,797 | 938,078 | 833,339 | 1,332,269 |
Two Harbors, MN | 1,573,093 | 1,714,045 | 1,688,169 | 1,871,492 | 1,424,692 | 1,626,606 | 1,654,298 |
Silver Bay, MN | 607,650 | 151,151 | 521,882 | 391,240 | 471,324 | 371,530 | 428,649 |
Marquette, MI* | 663,687 | 590,397 | 821,541 | 777,539 | 853,299 | 943,152 | 741,293 |
Cleveland, OH** | 337,080 | 300,674 | 430,637 | 359,591 | 278,944 | 457,073 | 341,385 |
Ashtabula, OH | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Total | 5,678,842 | 5,294,066 | 5,763,662 | 5,732,675 | 5,107,384 | 5,117,615 | 5,515,326 |
*Marquette = Presque Isle in previous reports | |||||||
**Transshipments within Cleveland Harbor | |||||||
Year-To-Date 2021-2026 | |||||||
| Average | ||||||
Port | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | 2021-2025 |
Duluth, MN | 4,322,535 | 3,169,813 | 4,469,163 | 4,284,796 | 4,465,398 | 3,792,120 | 4,142,341 |
Superior, WI | 6,145,914 | 5,368,097 | 6,182,405 | 5,458,482 | 4,222,123 | 4,195,723 | 5,475,404 |
Two Harbors, MN | 8,203,488 | 6,588,455 | 7,824,081 | 7,762,798 | 6,687,513 | 6,291,896 | 7,413,267 |
Silver Bay, MN | 2,572,013 | 863,363 | 1,058,651 | 2,431,723 | 1,921,248 | 1,763,198 | 1,769,400 |
Marquette, MI* | 3,477,332 | 2,297,120 | 3,631,167 | 3,522,892 | 3,240,454 | 4,069,336 | 3,233,793 |
Cleveland, OH** | 1,662,391 | 791,886 | 2,453,981 | 2,116,326 | 1,217,485 | 2,316,185 | 1,648,414 |
Ashtabula, OH | 28,553 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34,181 | 5,711 |
Total | 26,412,226 | 19,078,734 | 25,619,448 | 25,577,017 | 21,754,221 | 22,462,639 | 23,688,329 |
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.
