Dry bulk cargo is commodities that are shipped in loose unpackaged form. The primary bulk commodities are iron ore, coal, grains, bauxite/alumina, and phosphate rock. Other types include cement, forest products, some steel products, copper, and other base metals such as lead and nickel.
Bulk cargo is distinct from general cargo, which refers to cargo shipped in some packaged form, whether in sacks or palettes or some other organized or grouped manner.
Dry bulk cargo does not include tankers that ship oil, refined products, or chemicals; container ships; or roll-on ships, which carry vehicles that can be driven or rolled on board. The Baltic Exchange has separate indices for tankers and container ships.
Dry bulk ships account for about 22% of the global merchant fleet (Chart 1). And they account for 30% of the total value of $14 trillion of cargo shipped annually.