Scrap Aluminum Exports Dipped 7%

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster):  The most recent trade statistics released by the U.S. Census Bureau indicates that exports of aluminum scrap recorded decline during the initial ten-month period of 2019. The total exports were valued at $1.88 billion during this period, down by 6.75% when matched with the exports of $2.02 billion million during the year-ago corresponding period.

The primary importer of aluminum scrap from the U.S. was China. The value of exports to China totalled $344.05 million, accounting for just over 18% of the total U.S. exports. The Chinese imports from the U.S. dropped significantly by over 44% from the previous year. In second place was South Korea, whose imports from the U.S. were valued at $267.56 million. The South Korean imports were down by approximately 5% year-on-year. India emerged as the third largest importer, receiving $266.79 million worth of aluminum scrap from the U.S. The other key market destinations were Malaysia ($229.26 million) and Mexico ($144.80 million).

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The above five countries together received nearly 67% of the total aluminum scrap exported by the U.S. from January to October this year.

The U.S. imported $682.04 million worth of aluminum scrap during Jan-Oct ’19. This compares with $938.17 million during the corresponding year-ago period, suggesting a decline of more than 27% year-on-year. The top three sources of import were Canada ($449.61 million), Mexico ($181.26 million) and Guatemala ($11.51 million).