Scrap Trade by World Countries Exhibited Mixed Trend in H1 2019

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): The trade statistics published by various countries suggest mixed trend for scrap trade during the first six months of the current year.

The Japanese scrap exports totaled around 3.54 million tons in H1 2019. The exports dropped sharply by 6.5% when compared with the previous year. The largest export destination was South Korea which imported 2.2 million tons of scrap, accounting for almost 61% of the total Japanese exports. The exports to that country were down marginally by 1.8% year-on-year. The other key importers were Vietnam (850,000 tons) and Taiwan (240,000 tons).

The trade data published by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK) suggests that the country imported around 9 million tons of scrap in Jan-June ’19. This was down significantly by 16.5% year-on-year. The primary supplier was the U.S. with total supplies of 1.6 million tons. The U.S. supplies recorded year-on-year decline by 18%. The other major sources of import were the Netherlands (1.3 million tons), the UK (1.2 million tons) and Russia (1 million ton).

India imported a total of around 610,000 tons of scrap in June this year. The key sources of import were the UAE (89,200 tons), the UK (84,100 tons), the U.S. (54,200 tons), South Africa (40,600 tons) and Singapore (37,200 tons).

The U.S. scrap exports totaled 1.76 million tons of scrap in June, higher by over 43% from the previous year. The total scrap exports during the month were valued at $555 million. The primary destination of exports was Turkey, which imported 387,000 tons from the U.S. The other major export destinations include Canada (184,000 tons), Taiwan (167,000 tons) and India (158,000 tons).