The Port of Baltimore is the No. 2 US port for imported aluminum, gypsum, salt and sugar, and in 2023 about 60 percent of US tin imports, worth more than $500 million, came through Baltimore along with significant lead, nickel and zinc. Coal is the port’s largest single tonnage and ranks No. 2 among US export ports. Metals and minerals are heavy, low in value per ton and unforgiving of extra miles. The shipper’s problem is the handoff from pier to truck or rail car: a bundle of ingots that waits on the apron, a road-salt order that needs 40 trucks in a cold snap, or a coil that exceeds the harbor tunnel limits. Baltimore 3PL coordinates that handoff from one desk.
How this cargo moves through the Port of Baltimore
Breakbulk metals, steel coils, ingots and bundled product discharge at Dundalk Marine Terminal, the port’s 570-acre ro-ro and breakbulk terminal, which has 13 berths, 300-long-ton and 550-short-ton mobile heavy-lift cranes and a heavy rail spur rated for 71,500 pounds per axle with direct Norfolk Southern service. MPA lists steel coils and raw rubber among Dundalk’s cargoes.
Private terminals handle most bulk. Rukert Terminals, a family-owned bulk, breakbulk and project cargo terminal, has stored up to half a million tons of road salt at a time and describes itself as handling about that much salt each year. Baltimore Metal & Commodities is an MPA-listed private terminal for metals. Raw cane sugar lands at Locust Point for the Domino Sugar refinery next door, which moved to continuous operations in 2025. Coal exports move through dedicated private piers such as CNX Marine Terminals at Curtis Bay. See the port terminals overview and the Locust Point page.
What we set up for metals, minerals and bulk shippers
- Breakbulk discharge coordination. Vessel tracking, release and pier-side pickup scheduling with the stevedore through our project cargo and breakbulk desk.
- Heavy drayage. Flatbed, step-deck and coil-rack carrier partners sized to the bundle, through drayage.
- Rail to the mill. Gondola and flatcar loading at Dundalk through our intermodal rail desk for foundries and mills in Pennsylvania, Ohio and the Great Lakes.
- Bagging and palletizing. Partner warehouses that bag, super-sack and palletize salt, gypsum, sugar and mineral products to the customer’s specification. See warehousing.
- Surge trucking. Road-salt and seasonal mineral programs that need dozens of trucks in a short window, covered through our freight brokerage desk.
- Daily status by email. Tons released, tons loaded, tons delivered.
What the partner network brings
You get one accountable desk. The desk gets the right partner for the lane. Baltimore 3PL is a service-area logistics company. We do not own a pier, a pad, a crane or a truck in Baltimore. Every ton we move runs through a partner network we have curated for 50 years: bulk and breakbulk terminal operators, stevedores, flatbed and dump carriers, rail loading crews, bagging warehouses, forwarders and licensed customs brokers. Because we have no fleet to fill, a 40-truck salt surge and a single coil each get the carrier that fits. Customs clearance is coordinated through our licensed customs broker partners. Call (419) 745-9492 or email operations@sams3pl.com, Monday to Friday, 07:00 to 18:00 Eastern.
Commodity by commodity
Aluminum. No. 2 US import port. Raw aluminum is among the port’s top imports by value. Ingots, billets and coils move by flatbed or rail to extruders and rolling mills, and Baltimore is the closest Atlantic port to the Midwest, with Pittsburgh about 250 road miles away and Cleveland 365.
Tin, lead, nickel and zinc. About 60 percent of US tin imports came through Baltimore in 2023. These are high-value, dense, palletized lots that often go into partner warehouses before call-off.
Salt. No. 2 US import port for de-icing salt. Winter programs need storage near the port and surge trucking to state and county depots. The desk books the trucks before the storm.
Sugar. No. 2 US import port. Raw cane sugar serves the Locust Point refinery. Refined sugar and bagged product move to food manufacturers across the region. See our food and beverage page.
Gypsum. No. 2 US import port, feeding wallboard plants.
Coal. No. 2 US export port and the largest single tonnage. It moves through dedicated private piers with little third-party involvement, so our role is limited to related equipment and breakbulk.
One routing rule applies to all of them. Loads over 14 ft 6 in high or 11 ft wide may not use the I-95 or I-895 harbor tunnels and loop the west side of I-695 until the Key Bridge reopens, expected late 2030. Tall coils and wide bundles are checked against those limits before dispatch.
What to send for a quote
- Commodity and form: ingot, coil, bundle, bulk or bagged
- Tons per vessel or per month, and the vessel or terminal if known
- Unit dimensions and weights, especially for coils and bundles
- Destination mills, plants or depots with receiving hours
- Packaging work needed: bagging, super-sacks, palletizing
- Rail or truck preference and any seasonal surge pattern
- Storage dwell expected before call-off
Send it to operations@sams3pl.com or use the quote form. You get a reply within one business day.
Questions shippers ask
01Which metals and minerals come through Baltimore?
Baltimore ranks No. 2 in the US for imported aluminum, gypsum, salt and sugar, and handled about 60 percent of US tin imports in 2023. Lead, nickel and zinc also move through the port. Coal is the largest single tonnage and ranks No. 2 for US exports.
02Do you handle coal?
Coal moves through dedicated private piers such as CNX Marine Terminals at Curtis Bay with little third-party logistics involvement. We can coordinate related equipment, parts and breakbulk, but we do not run coal piers.
03Can aluminum ingots and coils go directly to a mill by rail?
Yes. Dundalk has direct Norfolk Southern service and CSX through an interchange, and a heavy rail spur rated for 71,500 pounds per axle. We coordinate loading with the terminal and the railroad.
04Can bulk product be bagged or palletized near the port?
Yes, through partner warehouses equipped for bagging, super-sack filling and palletizing. We match the partner to the product and the customer’s packaging specification.
05Do you own the terminal or the storage pads?
No. Private terminals such as Rukert and Baltimore Metal & Commodities handle bulk and breakbulk metals, and partner warehouses handle storage. You get one desk that coordinates all of them.