Great Lakes Limestone Trade Down 7 Percent in June
Cleveland—Shipments of limestone on the Great Lakes totaled 3.6 million tons in June, an increase of 23 percent over May, but a decrease of 7 percent compared to a year ago. Shipments trailed the month’s 5-year average by 10.6 percent.
Shipments from U.S. quarries fell 4.6 percent compared to a year ago and are 7.3 percent off June’s 5-year average. Loadings at Canadian quarries slipped by more than 16 percent compared to a year ago and more – 22.4 percent – when compared to the month’s 5-year average.
Through June the limestone trade stands at 8.7 million tons, a decrease of 13.1 percent compared to the same point in 2010, and a drop of 21.2 percent compared to the 5-year average for the first half of the year.