Illinois River Tonnage: 10 Year Average
Tonnage data has been compiled for the fiscal year 2018 from data acquired by the Waterborne Commerce Statistics Center (WCSC). A 10-year average of the 2018 Illinois River tonnage is now available from 2009-2018.
In reviewing the commodity data prepared by Dede Smith of Inland Rivers, Ports & Terminals, here are some of the highlights:
- Grains (wheat, corn, rice, sorghum, soybean and oilseed) represent 31% of total tonnage in 2018 at 11.5 million tons. This is slightly lower than 2017 by 469,341 tons.
- Petroleum was slightly higher in 2018 than in 2017 by 224,089 tons. Petroleum represents 15% of total tonnage in 2018.
- Wood products’ tonnage was higher in 2018 at just under 2 million tons (with an 800,000 difference than 2017).
| Commodity | 2018 Tonnage | 2017 Tonnage |
| Coke | 1,190,947 | 1,203,722 |
| Petroleum | 5,574,068 | 4,349,979 |
| Fertilizer | 1,901,870 | 2,059,876 |
| Other Chemicals | 4,711,063 | 4,536,427 |
| Wood Products | 1,947,145 | 1,179,880 |
| Sand, Gravel and Rock | 2,288,276 | 2,715,325 |
| Iron/Steel | 2,164,288 | 1,366,447 |
| Other Metals | 3,158,405 | 3,914,000 |
| All Grains | 11,558,145 | 12,027,486 |
| Food/Farm Products | 2,766,318 | 3,325,483 |
| Machinery | 21,391 | 94,466 |
Total tonnage for 2018, according to WCSC was 37,281,916.