U.S. Copper Scrap Exports Surged 27% in H1 2018

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): The latest U.S. Census Bureau data suggests notable jump in exports of copper waste and scrap by the country during the first six months of the current year. The exports surged higher by 27% over the previous year. The U.S. copper waste and scrap exports totaled $1.62 billion during Jan-June ’18.

China continued to be the top export destination. Almost 50% of the half-yearly U.S. exports were to China. The exports to China totaled $810.98 million, higher by more than 5% year-on-year. The second largest importer was Canada, which accounted for 11% of the U.S. shipments. The U.S. exports to Canada totaled $180.91 million. In third place was South Korea with imports amounting to $112.7 million. The other key foreign markets were Germany ($88.06 million) and Japan ($70 million).

Nearly 78% of copper waste and scrap exports from the U.S. were shipped to the above top five foreign markets.

Meantime, the country imported 13.50% more copper waste and scrap through June this year. The imports were up from $366.21 million a year before to $415.67 million in Jan-June ’18. The leading source of imports was Canada, which supplied 66% of the total imports. The imports from Canada were valued at $273.32 million, registering year-on-year jump by 8.5%. The other key suppliers were Mexico ($99.06 million), Venezuela ($10.65 million), Panama ($5.82 million) and Colombia ($3.3 million).