Wheat ports and hubs in North America
50 ports and hubs in North America handle wheat, across 12 countries: Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, and United States. Grades: Milling Wheat (Standard), High Protein Wheat (Quality / A-Wheat), and Durum Wheat (Amber Durum).
ExportImportCrushing / transitInland river
Open the interactive mapPrices, price history and the 5- and 10-year seasonal comparison are on the interactive map, with the source and date of every figure.
Grades
- Milling Wheat (Standard) (11.5% - 12.0%) - Standard European bread-making wheat. High hectolitre weight (>76 kg/hl), Hagberg falling number >220s.
- High Protein Wheat (Quality / A-Wheat) (14.0% - 15.0%) - High-protein bread wheat at 14-15%, the improver grade blended into weaker domestic wheat to lift dough strength. Priced as a premium over standard milling wheat rather than as an independent market, so it tracks the milling wheat anchor.
- Durum Wheat (Amber Durum) (13.0% - 15.0%) - Vitreous hard amber wheat exclusively used for semolina pasta production. Concentrated in Mediterranean basins.
Ports and hubs (50)
| Hub | Country | Type | Grades handled |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alberta (Calgary) Calgary Western prairie province, strong in barley and canola and closest to the Pacific ports. Prices here are Statistics Canada provincial farm-gate averages, not quotations at Calgary. | Canada | Inland hub Export | Milling Wheat (Standard), Durum Wheat (Amber Durum) |
| Manitoba (Winnipeg) Winnipeg Eastern prairie province and historic centre of the Canadian grain trade. Prices here are Statistics Canada provincial farm-gate averages, not quotations at Winnipeg. | Canada | Inland hub Export | Milling Wheat (Standard) |
| Montreal Montreal St. Lawrence export port for eastern Canadian grain and for prairie grain transshipped from Great Lakes lakers into ocean vessels. | Canada | Seaport Export | Milling Wheat (Standard) |
| Prince Rupert Prince Rupert Northern British Columbia export terminal, on a shorter sailing to Asia than Vancouver. | Canada | Seaport Export | Milling Wheat (Standard) |
| Saskatchewan (Regina) Regina Canada's largest wheat, durum and canola producing province. Prices here are Statistics Canada provincial farm-gate averages, not quotations at Regina. | Canada | Inland hub Export | Milling Wheat (Standard), Durum Wheat (Amber Durum) |
| Thunder Bay Thunder Bay Canada's Great Lakes grain port at the head of Lake Superior, shipping prairie wheat, durum and canola east through the St. Lawrence Seaway. | Canada | Seaport Export | Milling Wheat (Standard), Durum Wheat (Amber Durum) |
| Vancouver Vancouver Canada's largest grain export port and the Pacific gateway for prairie wheat, durum, canola and barley bound for Asia. | Canada | Seaport Export | Milling Wheat (Standard), Durum Wheat (Amber Durum) |
| Puerto Caldera (Costa Rica) Caldera Costa Rica's main Pacific port and its main point of entry for cereals, with a dedicated grain berth run by Sociedad Portuaria Granelera de Caldera since 2015. | Costa Rica | Seaport Import | Milling Wheat (Standard) |
| Port of Cienfuegos Cienfuegos South-coast port and home of Cienfuegos Cereales, Cuba's largest mill, which grinds around 40% of the country's wheat flour. | Cuba | Seaport Import | Milling Wheat (Standard) |
| Port of Havana Havana Cuba's largest port. Cuba imports most of its wheat, maize, rice and soymeal; the state milling company has two flour mills in Havana. | Cuba | Seaport Import | Milling Wheat (Standard) |
| Port of Santiago de Cuba Santiago de Cuba Eastern Cuba's main port; its Tricontinental pier handles bulk sugar exports and bulk grain imports, and the city has a state flour mill. | Cuba | Seaport Import | Milling Wheat (Standard) |
| Port of Rio Haina (Dominican Republic) Haina The Dominican Republic's main bulk port, west of Santo Domingo. The country imports over 500,000 t of wheat and about 600,000 t of soymeal a year, nearly all its maize, and almost all of it from the US. | Dominican Republic | Seaport Import | Milling Wheat (Standard) |
| Port of Acajutla (El Salvador) Acajutla El Salvador's main port, on the Pacific. Its solid bulk imports are led by maize, soymeal, wheat and rice; the ALCASA terminal stores about 143,000 t in silos and warehouses. | El Salvador | Seaport Import | Milling Wheat (Standard) |
| Puerto Quetzal (Guatemala) Puerto San Jose Guatemala's Pacific port, where Terminal de Granos del Pacifico (Terpac) receives imported wheat, maize and soymeal for the country and its neighbours. | Guatemala | Seaport Import | Milling Wheat (Standard) |
| Santo Tomas de Castilla (Guatemala) Santo Tomas de Castilla Guatemala's Caribbean port on Amatique Bay, mainly a dry-bulk port for grain and fertiliser, with a small silo terminal. | Guatemala | Seaport Import | Milling Wheat (Standard) |
| Puerto Cortes (Honduras) Puerto Cortes Honduras's Caribbean port, handling about 90% of the country's sea trade, including its wheat, maize and soymeal imports. A dedicated grain terminal is being built. | Honduras | Seaport Import | Milling Wheat (Standard) |
| Port of Kingston (Jamaica) Kingston Jamaica's main port. The deep-water grain terminal at Kingston Wharves serves the island's two flour mills, Jamaica Flour Mills (ADM) and Jamaica Grain and Cereals. | Jamaica | Seaport Import | Milling Wheat (Standard) |
| Ciudad Obregon (Yaqui Valley, Sonora) Ciudad Obregon Centre of the irrigated Yaqui Valley. Sonora grows close to half of Mexico's wheat, with durum the main crop; this is also where CIMMYT developed the semi-dwarf wheats of the Green Revolution. | Mexico | Inland hub Export | Durum Wheat (Amber Durum), Milling Wheat (Standard) |
| Port of Altamira Altamira Industrial port in Tamaulipas, one of the main Gulf entry points for US maize, soybeans and wheat into Mexico's north-east. | Mexico | Seaport Import | Milling Wheat (Standard) |
| Port of Coatzacoalcos Coatzacoalcos Southern Gulf port on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, receiving bulk maize and wheat for south-east Mexico. | Mexico | Seaport Import | Milling Wheat (Standard) |
| Port of Guaymas (Sonora) Guaymas Sonora's port on the Gulf of California, with a 72-silo grain terminal of about 68,000 t. Ships the durum and bread wheat grown in the Yaqui and Mayo valleys. | Mexico | Seaport Export | Durum Wheat (Amber Durum), Milling Wheat (Standard) |
| Port of Lazaro Cardenas Lazaro Cardenas Deep-water Pacific port in Michoacan with rail links to central Mexico; mainly containers and bulk, including grain imports. | Mexico | Seaport Import | Milling Wheat (Standard) |
| Port of Manzanillo (Colima) Manzanillo Mexico's largest port by cargo, on the Pacific. Mostly containers, but it also takes a significant share of grain imports for Jalisco and the Bajio feed and milling industries. | Mexico | Seaport Import | Milling Wheat (Standard) |
| Port of Progreso (Yucatan) Progreso Yucatan's port at the end of a long offshore pier; Mexico's second grain import port, feeding the peninsula's poultry and pig industries. | Mexico | Seaport Import | Milling Wheat (Standard) |
| Port of Topolobampo (Sinaloa) Topolobampo Northern Sinaloa port serving one of Mexico's most productive farm zones. Exports wheat, sorghum and soybeans, and is being positioned for sorghum shipments to China. | Mexico | Seaport Export | Milling Wheat (Standard) |
| Port of Tuxpan Tuxpan Northern Veracruz port, the closest Gulf port to Mexico City, receiving bulk maize and wheat. | Mexico | Seaport Import | Milling Wheat (Standard) |
| Port of Veracruz Veracruz Mexico's main grain import port, taking around half of the country's seaborne bulk grain and most of its imported maize by ship, mostly from the US Gulf. | Mexico | Seaport Import | Milling Wheat (Standard) |
| Port of Corinto (Nicaragua) Corinto Nicaragua's largest port, on the Pacific, with a berth set up for grain and fertiliser. | Nicaragua | Seaport Import | Milling Wheat (Standard) |
| Bahia Las Minas (Panama) Colon Bay east of Colon on the Caribbean entrance to the Panama Canal, with a bulk grain terminal. | Panama | Seaport Import | Milling Wheat (Standard) |
| Cristobal (Colon, Panama) Colon Atlantic entrance of the Panama Canal. DEPSA runs the grain terminal at Cristobal, with a silo berth discharging maize and soybeans; soymeal, maize and wheat are Panama's main grain imports. | Panama | Seaport Import | Milling Wheat (Standard) |
| Amarillo (Texas Panhandle) Amarillo Centre of the Texas Panhandle, where wheat and sorghum are grown and the feedlots and dairies are among the largest in the US. The feed industry's demand outruns local crops, so maize arrives by rail from the Corn Belt. | United States | Inland hub Import | Milling Wheat (Standard) |
| Chicago Chicago Delivery point for the Chicago Board of Trade corn, soybean and soft red winter wheat contracts, and the reference market for most North American grain pricing. | United States | Inland hub Inland river | Milling Wheat (Standard) |
| Duluth-Superior Duluth The westernmost port on the Great Lakes, at the head of Lake Superior. Ships hard red spring wheat and durum from the northern Plains out through the St. Lawrence Seaway. | United States | Seaport Export | High Protein Wheat (Quality / A-Wheat), Durum Wheat (Amber Durum), Milling Wheat (Standard) |
| Enid (Oklahoma) Enid Known as the 'Wheat Capital' of the United States for its terminal elevators, among the largest grain storage concentrations in the world. Hard red winter wheat moves by rail to the Texas Gulf ports. | United States | Inland hub Export | Milling Wheat (Standard) |
| Fargo (Red River Valley) Fargo Centre of the Red River Valley in North Dakota and Minnesota, the main US region for hard red spring wheat, and a large soybean, maize and barley district. Grain moves by rail to Duluth and the Pacific Northwest. | United States | Inland hub Export | High Protein Wheat (Quality / A-Wheat) |
| Great Falls (Montana Golden Triangle) Great Falls Centre of Montana's Golden Triangle, a dryland district of hard red spring and winter wheat, durum and malting barley. Wheat goes by rail to the Pacific Northwest export terminals. | United States | Inland hub Export | High Protein Wheat (Quality / A-Wheat), Milling Wheat (Standard), Durum Wheat (Amber Durum) |
| Hutchinson (Kansas) Hutchinson Central Kansas terminal market in the hard red winter wheat belt, with large rail terminal elevators (Cargill Hutchinson East handles wheat, maize, sorghum and soybeans). Wheat moves by rail to the Texas Gulf. | United States | Inland hub Export | Milling Wheat (Standard) |
| Kalama / Longview (Columbia River) Kalama Deep-draft Columbia River export elevators downstream of Portland, loading corn and soybeans railed from the Midwest alongside Pacific Northwest wheat. | United States | River port Export | Milling Wheat (Standard) |
| Kansas City Kansas City The principal cash and futures pricing point for hard red winter wheat, on the Missouri River at the eastern edge of the southern Plains wheat belt. | United States | Inland hub Inland river | Milling Wheat (Standard) |
| Lower Mississippi / New Orleans New Orleans The largest grain export gateway in the United States. River elevators between Baton Rouge and the Gulf load ocean vessels from barges brought down the Mississippi, and carry the bulk of US corn and soybean exports. | United States | River port Export | Milling Wheat (Standard) |
| Minneapolis Minneapolis The principal pricing point for hard red spring wheat and durum, and the upper Mississippi barge head for northern Plains grain. | United States | Inland hub Inland river | High Protein Wheat (Quality / A-Wheat), Durum Wheat (Amber Durum) |
| Port of Corpus Christi Corpus Christi Texas Gulf port with a public grain elevator, shipping sorghum, maize and wheat from south Texas and the Plains; a main US port for sorghum exports. | United States | Seaport Export | Milling Wheat (Standard) |
| Port of Lewiston (Snake River) Lewiston (ID) The furthest-inland port on the Columbia-Snake river system, about 465 river miles from the Pacific. Wheat and barley from Idaho and eastern Washington go down-river by barge to the Columbia export terminals. | United States | River port Inland river | Milling Wheat (Standard) |
| Port of Vancouver USA (Columbia River) Vancouver (WA) Deep-draft Columbia River grain port across from Portland, loading wheat, maize and soybeans that arrive by rail and barge from the Plains and the Pacific Northwest for Asian buyers. | United States | River port Export | Milling Wheat (Standard), High Protein Wheat (Quality / A-Wheat) |
| Portland (Columbia River) Portland Columbia River export elevators and the outlet of the Columbia-Snake barge system. The principal export route for soft white wheat to Asia, with hard red spring and winter wheat, corn and soybeans. | United States | River port Export | Milling Wheat (Standard), High Protein Wheat (Quality / A-Wheat) |
| Spokane (Inland Northwest) Spokane Trading centre of the Palouse and eastern Washington, the main US source of soft white wheat for Asian noodle and cake flours. Wheat goes by barge from the Snake River and by rail to the Columbia River export terminals. | United States | Inland hub Export | Milling Wheat (Standard) |
| St. Louis Harbor (Mississippi) St. Louis Where the Missouri and Illinois rivers meet the Mississippi; the harbor has the highest concentration of grain-barge loading capacity on the US inland waterways. Maize and soybeans go down-river to the Gulf export elevators. | United States | River port Inland river | Milling Wheat (Standard) |
| Tacoma / Seattle (Puget Sound) Tacoma Puget Sound export terminals shipping Midwest corn and soybeans, brought across by rail, to Asian markets on the shortest US mainland crossing. | United States | Seaport Export | Milling Wheat (Standard) |
| Texas Gulf (Houston) Houston Texas Gulf export elevators on the Houston Ship Channel, loading hard red winter wheat, corn and sorghum drawn from the southern Plains by rail. | United States | Seaport Export | Milling Wheat (Standard) |
| Toledo Toledo Lake Erie grain port handling soft red winter wheat, corn and soybeans from Ohio, Indiana and Michigan. | United States | Seaport Export | Milling Wheat (Standard) |