2007 US salt sales jump 37%

Sales of US dry salt jumped 37.2% in 2007 to 31.7 million tons, the Salt Institute reported today, releasing its annual Statistical Report of US Salt Sales. 

Salt industry revenues rose 11.9% to $1.68 billion, excluding transportation costs.

Highway salt sales were the second best year on record with 20.3 million tons (the record was set in 2005: 20.5 million tons were used to keep winter roads safe and passable), up sharply, 67%, over 2006, the worst year in highway sales for the past decade.  Revenues for highway salt sales were $585.7 million 

Among other major markets, salt for animal nutrition grew for the third year in the past four year after rather steady declines over the past decade, increasing 7.3% to 1.627 million tons. Chemical sales reversed an historic climb, recovering 11.3% to 2.1 million tons, the most since 2004.  Food salt sales were totally flat:  1,562 in 2007, 1563 in 2006.  The only declining market was water softening salt which fell from 3.6 million tons to 3.5 million tons in 2007, down 2.7%

Salt sales back to 1977 are reported on the Salt Institute website.