Aluminum Waste and Scrap Exports by the US Surged 17%

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): The Aluminum waste and scrap exports by the US increased significantly during the initial nine months of 2017. This is in accordance with the most recent trade data released by the US Census Bureau. The exports surged higher by almost 17% to total $1.58 billion through September 2017, when matched with the exports of $1.35 billion during the corresponding nine-month period in 2016. It must be noted that the country had exported $1.81 billion worth of aluminum waste and scrap during the entire year 2016.

China, South Korea and China were the top three importers of US aluminum waste and scrap. China continued to remain as the top importing country. Mexico and India were the other two countries to feature in the top five importers list.

The largest importer of aluminum waste and scrap from the US was China with imports totaling $823.2 million, accounting for more than 52% of the total US shipments. The exports to China surged higher by nearly 21% when matched with the previous year. The imports by South Korea totaled $165.3 million, rising sharply by nearly 20% from the year before. In third place was Canada with imports from the US amounting to $149.3 million. The imports by the country have declined marginally by 1.85% over the previous year. The exports to Mexico and India totaled $130.9 million and $74.9 million respectively.

Among Customs districts, Los Angeles accounted for more than 26% of all shipments, followed by San Francisco and New York City with market shares of 9.99% and 9.39% respectively. Seattle shipped $130.9 million worth of aluminum waste and scrap during the first three quarters of the year. The shipments through Laredo totaled $111.1 million. Nearly 61% of all shipments of aluminum waste and scrap by the US were through these five Customs districts.

Meantime, the imports of aluminum waste and scrap by the US too recorded considerable jump during the first nine months of 2017. The imports rose sharply by 35% year-on-year from $563.15 million in Jan-Sep ’16 to $758.34 million through the first nine months of 2017. The US imports of aluminum waste and scrap had skyrocketed to $768.14 million during the full year 2016.

The leading source of aluminum waste and scrap imports by the US was Canada. The imports from Canada totaled $427.2 million, accounting for just over 56% of total imports. The imports from Mexico and Venezuela totaled $182.1 million and $15.5 million respectively. The other leading exporters of aluminum waste and scrap to the US were Saudi Arabia ($15.0 million) and Guatemala ($13.8 million). These top five foreign markets accounted for more than 86% of the total aluminum waste and scrap imported by the US during the first nine months of the current year.

The top Customs Districts that accounted for maximum imports were Detroit, Ogdensburg, Laredo, Buffalo and Pembina, N.D. These five Customs Districts accounted for imports worth $433.63 million, which is roughly equivalent to over 57% of the total imports.