Shipments of iron ore and limestone on the Great Lakes both increased in June compared with the same month last year, according to figures released by trade group the Lake Carriers' Association.
Iron ore shipments rose 4.5% year-over-year in June, totaling 5.1 million tons, the association reported. That volume was roughly in line with the month's five-year average.
Through the first six months of the year, Great Lakes iron ore shipments reached 17.3 million tons, up 4.2% from the same period in 2025. Despite the year-over-year gain, first-half volumes remained 4.6% below the five-year average for the period.
Among individual ports, Marquette, Mich., posted the largest June iron ore volume among the ports tracked, at nearly 995,000 tons, while Two Harbors, Minn., led all ports on a year-to-date basis with more than 4.6 million tons shipped through June.
Limestone shipments followed a similar pattern. U.S. loadings on the Great Lakes climbed 4.5% in June from a year earlier, to 3 million tons, and came in 6.9% above the month's five-year average, according to the association.
Year-to-date U.S. limestone shipments told a different story, however. Through June, U.S. loadings totaled just under 7 million tons, a 7.5% decline from the same period in 2025 and 7.2% below the five-year average.
The Lake Carriers' Association, which represents the U.S.-flag fleet operating on the Great Lakes, noted that Canadian ports have not supplied limestone shipment data since April, a change that affects direct comparisons with prior years' combined U.S.-Canadian totals.
