In 2023, the amount of copper-containing scrap exported by the USA exceeded 875,000 mt. Of this amount, 39.7%, or approximately 350,000 metric tons, was sent to China (including Hong Kong). This figure represents 19.5% of the total copper scrap collected in the US and represents an increase of approximately 12% compared to 291,900 metric tons in 2022. While China is the largest buyer in this field, countries such as India, Malaysia, Thailand and South Korea have also created a competitive market.
The US exported 33.6% of the aluminum scrap it collected, of which 10%, or 212,000 metric tons, was sent to China. This amount corresponds to 3.5% of the total aluminum scrap collected in the USA. China's aluminum scrap imports increased by 39.5% compared to 2022, from 152,000 mt to 212,000 mt. However, it is the fifth country that purchases the most American aluminum scrap, after China, India, Malaysia, South Korea and Thailand.
China's ferrous scrap imports from the USA decreased significantly. The amount of imports fell from 204,000 mt in 2022 to only 19,000 mt in 2023, indicating a decrease of 91%. While Türkiye stands out as the country that imports the most ferrous scrap from the USA, some other countries also purchased large amounts of ferrous scrap from the USA.
Although US scrap exports decreased by 9.2% in 2023, exports to China showed significant increases, especially in copper and aluminum scrap. This trend shows that China remains a major player in the US scrap market. On the other hand, the large decrease in ferrous scrap exports reveals that different market dynamics are at play in this segment.
These data show that there are both increases and decreases in China's scrap imports from the USA and reveal how variable the global trade dynamics in the scrap market can be.
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