Thailand’s Half-Yearly Scrap Imports Surged 21%

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): The recent trade statistics released by the Thai Customs Department suggests significant jump in ferrous scrap imports by Thailand during the month of June this year. The cumulative imports during the initial six-month period of the year too were up significantly over the previous year.

In accordance with the country’s Customs data, Thailand’s ferrous scrap imports totaled 132,000 tons in June this year. This is significantly higher by 109.4% when matched with the same month a year before. The imports had totaled around 63,000 tons in June 2016. The ferrous scrap imports recorded sharp jump of 20.9% during the first half of the current year. The imports during H1 2017 totaled 651,000 tons, as compared with 538,000 tons imported during the corresponding six-month period in 2016.

The largest supplier of ferrous scrap to Thailand during Jan-June ’16 was the US. The imports from the US totaled 268, 738 tons, accounting for nearly 41% of the total imports by Thailand during this period. The second largest exporter was the New Zealand, accounting for 5.5% share of Thailand’s scrap imports during the six-month period. The imports from New Zealand totaled 35,570 tons, Customs data said.

Scrap Imports-May ‘17

The country’s scrap imports registered sharp decline of over 61% in May this year. The imports were down to 63,000 tons as compared with 162,000 tons during June last year. When compared with the previous month, the June imports were down by nearly 42%. In fact, the imports had hit the lowest level so far this year in May ’17.

The US with 28,000 tons was the key supplier of scrap to Thailand. The imports from the US were down significantly by 55.6% over the previous year. In second place was Australia with 6,000 tons. The monthly imports from Australia dropped considerably by 82.5% over the previous year.

Scrap Imports-April ‘17

According to Customs data, the ferrous scrap imports by Thailand totaled 108,019 metric tons in April this year. When matched with the previous month, the imports were up by 54.4%. Thailand’s ferrous scrap imports had totaled only 69,972 metric tons (mt) in March 2017. When matched with the same month a year before, the imports during the month were up by almost 97.3%. It must be noted that the country’s imports had totaled only around 55,000 metric tons in April 2016.

The key scrap supplier to Thailand during April this year was the US. The imports from the US totaled 72,515 metric tons, accounting for 67% of total imports by Thailand. The second largest exporter of scrap to the country in April was Australia with 5,978 mt. The imports from Australia jumped higher by 103% upon comparison with the imports during March 2017. In third place was Dominican Republic with 3,036 mt.