Iron ore shipments on the Great Lakes totaled 3.9 million tons in April, an increase of 5.3 percent compared to 2025. Shipments were 9.4 percent below the month’s 5-year average.
Year-to-date, the iron ore trade stands at 6.8 million tons, an increase of less than one percent compared to a year ago. Through April, iron ore shipments are 13.5 percent below their 5-year average for four months of the year.
Great Lakes Iron Ore Shipments: April 2021-2026 and 5-Year Average | |||||||
Includes Transshipments to Quebec City for Shipment Overseas | |||||||
(net tons) | |||||||
| Average | ||||||
Port | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | 2021-2025 |
Duluth, MN | 1,024,513 | 606,560 | 864,063 | 732,810 | 661,061 | 621,981 | 777,801 |
Superior, WI | 1,244,252 | 818,811 | 1,137,331 | 1,017,628 | 642,662 | 864,497 | 972,137 |
Two Harbors, MN | 1,553,579 | 1,087,313 | 1,524,284 | 1,521,002 | 1,549,512 | 1,015,110 | 1,447,138 |
Silver Bay, MN | 623,370 | 76,082 | 153,107 | 436,176 | 304,748 | 360,203 | 318,697 |
Marquette, MI* | 815,692 | 370,536 | 659,673 | 646,209 | 532,187 | 724,020 | 604,859 |
Cleveland, OH** | 294,803 | 113,492 | 426,941 | 251,870 | 52,907 | 355,453 | 228,003 |
Ashtabula, OH | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Total | 5,556,209 | 3,072,794 | 4,765,399 | 4,605,695 | 3,743,077 | 3,941,264 | 4,348,635 |
*Marquette = Presque Isle in previous reports | |||||||
**Transshipments within Cleveland Harbor |
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Year-To-Date 2021-2026 | |||||||
| Average | ||||||
Port | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | 2021-2025 |
Duluth, MN | 1,469,989 | 1,015,169 | 1,458,875 | 1,395,522 | 1,232,385 | 1,000,973 | 1,314,388 |
Superior, WI | 2,203,033 | 1,328,443 | 1,953,320 | 1,817,331 | 1,052,126 | 1,412,963 | 1,670,851 |
Two Harbors, MN | 2,966,204 | 1,989,987 | 2,513,049 | 2,928,678 | 2,602,796 | 1,736,274 | 2,600,143 |
Silver Bay, MN | 832,365 | 188,773 | 153,107 | 778,353 | 564,566 | 568,849 | 503,433 |
Marquette, MI* | 1,437,810 | 646,503 | 1,218,454 | 1,067,220 | 781,594 | 1,083,249 | 1,030,316 |
Cleveland, OH** | 516,725 | 339,688 | 1,206,598 | 984,885 | 483,486 | 972,186 | 706,276 |
Ashtabula, OH | 28,553 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5,711 |
Total | 9,454,679 | 5,508,563 | 8,503,403 | 8,971,989 | 6,716,953 | 6,774,494 | 7,831,117 |
Information based on data from knowledgeable sources. However, accuracy cannot be guaranteed. Lake Carriers’ Association assumes no legal responsibility for the outcome of decisions or commitments made on the basis of this information. Report represents the views of Lake Carriers’ Association and may not necessarily represent the views of its individual members.
