US ferrous scrap exports through Nov 2015 dropped to 11.77 million mt

By Paul Ploumis (ScrapMonster Author)

January 19, 2016 07:40:19 AM

SPOKANE (Scrap Monster): The recovered paper export volume by the US gained marginally through the month of November last year when matched with the year before. However, ferrous, plastic and aluminum scrap exports through the first eleven months of the previous year continued to decline.

The latest scrap export data released for the month of Nov ’15 indicates that scrap plastics export volumes plunged heavily by 5.0% when compared with the previous month. The exports totaled 354.40 million pounds during the month. Also, the exports were down by 4.4% when compared with the 370.71 million pounds exported during Nov ’14.

Also, the cumulative scrap plastics exports during the initial eleven-month period of the year recorded substantial decline over the previous year. The exports during January to November in 2015 totaled 4.21 billion pounds, down by 5.0% when compared with the exports during corresponding eleven-month period in 2014.

The weighted price of scrap plastic exports in Nov ‘15 stood at 17.69 cents per pound, slightly up by 1.1% over the previous month. The weighted price was down by 14.9% when compared with Nov ’14. The weighted price averaged at 18.11 during the first eleven months of 2015, 8.7% down when compared with the previous year.

Recovered paper exports improved marginally by 2.9% to 17.95 million metric tons through Nov ’15. However, the weighted average price during the period declined by 5.1% to $157 per metric ton.

Ferrous scrap exports declined sharply by 17.5% during the eleven-month period through November 2015 to 11.77 million metric tons. The weighted average price during the eleven-month period was sharply down by 19.9% at $323 per metric ton.

Also, aluminum scrap exports during January to November last year dropped significantly by 8.9% to 3.19 billion pounds. The weighted average price too dropped 5.1% year-on-year to 72 cents per pound.