BIR World Mirror: Tariff Activity Disrupted Traditional Recycled Steel Trade Flows

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): The May 2025 release of the Bureau of International Recycling's (BIR) World Mirror on Ferrous Metals-Quarterly Report was announced. According to the research, the U.S. administration's tariff actions have caused typical recycled steel trade flows to be disrupted and costs to rise. According to the survey, demand has so far remained strong in some nations.

The U.S. recycled steel dealers reported much greater flows at the beginning of Q2 2025, primarily due to better weather and higher prices, according to BIR. But by late April, the impact of tariffs was increasingly noticeable. The demand from Mexican consumers drastically decreased as a result of the tariffs.

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A number of shredder companies were running well below capacity, and material inflows into UK yards continued to be irregular. The extreme margin pressures caused the material stockpiling to escalate.

The Turkish market saw a sharp drop in pricing. Generally speaking, the Asian market for recycled steel remained vulnerable. In Q1 2025, Taiwan's imports of recycled steel saw a notable decline from the previous year. In the midst of mounting worries about a possible global economic slowdown, the Japanese recycled steel market has been struggling since mid-April.