Great Lakes limestone trade down in April 2022

Shipments of limestone totaled 2 million net tons in April 2022, a decrease of 16.6 percent compared to a year ago, according to the Lake Carriers’ Association (LCA).

Loadings were above the month’s five-year average by 5.5 percent.

Loadings at U.S. ports totaled 1.6 million tons, a decrease of 14.6 percent. Meanwhile, limestone shipments from Canadian quarries decreased by 24.4 percent to 370,107 tons, LCA says.

Year-to-date, limestone trade stands at 2 million tons, a decrease of 19.1 percent from 2021. Shipments from U.S. ports decreased by 16.5 percent from the previous year, while shipments from Canadian ports decreased by 28.8 percent.