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Shipments of limestone across the Great Lakes held relatively steady in July 2025, totaling 3.53 million tons \u2014 a fractional drop of less than 1% compared to the same month last year, according to the Lake Carriers\u2019 Association (LCA). Despite the minimal year-over-year change, the trade fell 6.7% short of the month\u2019s five-year average, reflecting softer demand from some key markets.<\/p>\n
Loadings from U.S. quarries, which supply the bulk of the region\u2019s limestone, reached 2.88 million tons in July, down 1% from 2024. Canadian shipments showed a similar pattern, easing slightly to 646,418 tons. The overall stability in monthly totals masks a more pronounced year-to-date slowdown. Through the first seven months of 2025, the Lakes limestone trade stands at 12.67 million tons, a 5% decrease compared to last year. U.S. ports \u2014 including major Michigan and Ohio load points such as Calcite, Cedarville, Port Inland, Marblehead, and Presque Isle \u2014 have handled 10.40 million tons so far, off 3.2% from 2024. Canadian ports, including Manitoulin Island and Bruce Mines, saw a sharper decline of 12.6%, moving 2.27 million tons.<\/p>\n When compared against the 2020\u20132024 five-year averages, the 2025 season is lagging by more than half a million tons. Analysts point to a combination of factors, including fluctuating construction demand, weather-related shipment delays earlier in the season, and vessel scheduling adjustments.<\/p>\n Market Implications<\/strong><\/p>\n Limestone is a vital raw material for the Great Lakes economy, supporting steel manufacturing, construction aggregates, and environmental applications. While the modest July dip suggests relative stability in short-term demand, the year-to-date decline \u2014 particularly from Canadian sources \u2014 could signal a tightening in supply lines or a shift in market consumption patterns.<\/p>\n The industry will be watching closely as the shipping season heads into its late-summer and fall peak. If construction and steel output remain steady, carriers may be able to close some of the year-to-date gap. However, with 2025 tracking below both last year\u2019s pace and the five-year average, a full seasonal rebound appears unlikely without a demand surge.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n maritime professional<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Shipments of limestone across the Great Lakes held relatively steady in July 2025, totaling 3.53 million tons \u2014 a fractional drop of less than 1% compared to the same month last year, according to the Lake Carriers\u2019 Association (LCA). Despite the minimal year-over-year change, the trade fell 6.7% short of the month\u2019s five-year average, reflecting …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":65531,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[64],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-65530","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-maritime-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.al-sindbad.net\/rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65530","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.al-sindbad.net\/rest\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.al-sindbad.net\/rest\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.al-sindbad.net\/rest\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.al-sindbad.net\/rest\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=65530"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.al-sindbad.net\/rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65530\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.al-sindbad.net\/rest\/wp\/v2\/media\/65531"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.al-sindbad.net\/rest\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=65530"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.al-sindbad.net\/rest\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=65530"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.al-sindbad.net\/rest\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=65530"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Year-to-Date Downturn<\/strong><\/p>\n