An In-Depth Analysis of World Stainless Steel Scrap Trade in 2016

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): The International Nickel Study Group (INSG) has published its annual insight report that provides a detailed analysis of the major trends of stainless steel scrap trade between world countries. The report titled ‘An Overview of World Stainless Steel Scrap Trade in 2016’ is the 29^th in the series.

The world stainless steel melting production witnessed 10.2% jump in 2016 to total 45.8 Mt as compared with the previous year. China accounted for 55% of the production, thereby becoming the largest producing nation during the year. The Chinese stainless steel production rebounded by nearly 16% in 2016, after registering marginal production decline of 0.6% in 2015.

The scrap ratios varied from region to region. In Asian region, Japan and South Korea used more than 50% of scrap, whereas Taiwan used comparatively less scrap. China’s scrap usage was estimated at less than 20%. On the other hand, India used more than 60% of scrap. The scrap usage averaged around 60% across the European countries and close to 80% in the US.

In the North and South American region, Canada remained a net importer of stainless steel scrap. The country’s imports totaled 221kt. It exported 214kt. The US remained the largest export destination for Canadian scrap. Also, virtually all of Canada’s exports came from the US. Brazil, Mexico and the US remained net exporters of stainless steel scrap. The US exported 654kt, while importing only 263kt. Mexico imported less than 1kt and exported 133kt. Brazil’s imports totaled only 1kt, while the country exported more than 35kt of stainless steel scrap.

Among European countries, Belgium, Finland and Spain remained as net importers in 2016. The key net exporters during the year were France, Germany and the Netherlands. In the Asian region, India reported steady growth in stainless steel scrap imports during the year. The country’s imports totaled 766kt in 2016 as against the imports of less than 250kt in 2009. China, Taiwan and Korea too remained net importers. Meanwhile, Japan and Turkey were net exporters of stainless steel scrap during the year. Among countries from Africa and Oceania region, South Africa switched from being a net exporter in 2015 to a net importer in 2016. Australia too remained net exporter of the scrap.

Across the world, Germany (1085kt), the Netherlands (737kt) and the US (654kt) were the top three stainless steel scrap exporters during the year. The top three scrap importers of the world were Belgium (903kt), India (766 kt) and Finland (607kt). Overall, import trade of stainless steel scrap declined by 3.8% in 2016, whereas exports surged higher by 3.3%.