US ferrous scrap exports improve in October

United States – US ferrous scrap exceeded 1 million tonnes in October, according to latest figures from America’s Census Bureau and International Trade Commission. The 1.114 million tonnes shipped from US shores that month took the running total for 2016 to 9.119 million tonnes, or 6.7% short of the 9.773 million tonnes of the opening 10 months of 2015.

The traditional overseas outlets of Turkey (-19.9% to 2.538 million tonnes), Taiwan (-13.7% to 1.011 million tonnes) and South Korea (-16.4% to 759 684 tonnes) all bought less US scrap in the first 10 months of this year than in the corresponding period of 2015. However, these declines were offset to some extent by the 34% surge in Mexican imports to 1.198 million tonnes and a gain of 3.6% in Indian purchases to 806 508 tonnes.

Lower down the league table of US scrap buyers, China bought 275 230 tonnes of US ferrous scrap in the opening 10 months of 2016 for a year-on-year reduction of 16.4% while Canada slashed its purchases by 32.7% to 322 022 tonnes.

Among the notable increases, Pakistan acquired 285 484 tonnes of US ferrous scrap in this year’s January-October period (+36.4% year on year), with Vietnam taking 283 155 tonnes (+14.9%) and Bangladesh 259 542 tonnes (+184.5%).