Great Lakes Limestone Trade Dips 3.5% in October

Shipments of limestone on the Great Lakes totaled 3.3 million tons in October, a decrease of 3.5 percent compared to a year ago, the Lake Carriers’ Association (LCA) reported. October’s loadings were also 5.4 percent below the month’s five-year average.

LCA said loadings from U.S. quarries totaled 2.7 million tons, a decrease of 7.8 percent compared to a year ago, while shipments from Canadian quarries totaled 613,000 tons, an increase of 21.4 percent.

Year-to-date the Lakes limestone trade stands at 22.8 million tons, a decrease of 7.3 percent compared to a year ago. Loadings out of Michigan and Ohio quarries total 18.4 million tons, a decrease of 11.7 percent. Shipments from Ontario quarries total 4.4 million tons, an increase of 17.2 percent.