US Exports of Aluminum Waste and Scrap Up 17% in Jan-July ‘17

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): The latest trade statistics published by the US Census Bureau suggests significant jump in the country’s exports of Aluminum waste and scrap through the initial seven-month period of 2017. The exports surged higher by nearly 17% to $1.2 billion, as compared with the exports of $1.03 billion during the corresponding seven-month period in 2016. Incidentally, the exports had totaled $1.81 billion during the entire year 2016.

China, South Korea, Canada, Mexico and Hong Kong were the five leading end-markets for US aluminum waste and scrap exports. The combined exports to the above five market destinations totaled $1.03 billion and accounted for 86% of all aluminum waste and scrap exports by the US through July this year.

The largest importer of aluminum waste and scrap from the US was China with imports totaling $627.63 million, accounting for more than half of the total US shipments. The exports to China surged higher by over 19% when matched with the previous year. The imports by South Korea totaled $125.95 million, rising modestly by over 19% from the year before. In third place was Canada with imports from the US amounting to $116.6 million. The Canadian import volume has dropped slightly by 3.03% over the previous year. The exports to Mexico and Japan totaled $100 million and $60.6 million respectively.

Among Customs districts, Los Angeles accounted for more than one-fourth of all shipments, followed by San Francisco and New York City with market shares of 10.42% and 9.13% respectively. The others in the top-five list were Seattle and Laredo. These five Customs districts accounted for 61% of total shipments of aluminum waste and scrap from the US during Jan-July ’17.

Meantime, imports of aluminum waste and scrap too have registered notable increase during the first seven months of 2017. The imports were up sharply by 37% from $431.03 million in Jan-July ’16 to $592.37 million through the first seven months of 2017. It must be noted that the imports had totaled $768.14 million during the entire year 2016.

The leading exporter of aluminum waste and scrap to the US was Canada. The imports from Canada totaled $332 million, accounting for approximately 56% of total imports. The imports from Mexico and Saudi Arabia totaled $136.74 million and $13.04 million respectively. Venezuela ($11.9 million) and Guatemala ($11 million) were the other leading exporters of aluminum waste and scrap to the US. The exports by the above five countries accounted for nearly 85% of the total imports by the US during the initial seven-month period of 2017.

Detroit, Ogdensburg, Laredo, Buffalo and Pembina, N.D. were the top five Customs districts, by value of imports. The cumulative imports by the top five Customs districts amounted to $386.88 million.