US steel scrap exports tumbled 22% in June

Published: Aug 11, 2016 14:42
The US steel scrap exports during the month totaled 1.034 million tons. This is considerably lower by 21.5% when compared with the exports during the prior month.

By  (ScrapMonster Author)

August 11, 2016 01:26:11 AM

ALBANY (Scrap Monster)The most recent trade statistics released by the US International Trade Commission (US ITC) indicates that the country’s steel scrap exports dropped significantly during the month of June this year.

The US steel scrap exports during the month totaled 1.034 million tons. This is considerably lower by 21.5% when compared with the exports during the prior month. The US scrap exports had totaled 1.317 million tons, hitting the highest level in almost 18 months during May this year. The June ’16 scrap exports were down by 12.1% over the previous year. The value of exports witnessed over 18% year-on-year decline to total $3.328 billion.

The largest export destination of US scrap during June this year was Mexico. The US steel scrap exports to Mexico totaled 222,579 tons, accounting for nearly 22% of the total scrap exports by the US during the month. The scrap exports to Mexico increased sharply by 156.6% year-on-year. The second largest export destination of US steel scrap was Kuwait. The exports to the country totaled 133,122 tons during the month. The other key importers of steel scrap from the US were Taiwan (90,643 tons), Peru (89,277 tons) and Turkey (88,028 tons).

The cumulative steel scrap exports during the initial half-yearly period of 2016 totaled 5.901 million tons. The monthly exports averaged at 984,000 tons during the first six months of 2016. Also, going by the current rate, the country’s steel exports are estimated to touch 11.80 million tons during the entire year 2016.

Exports-May ’16

In May ’16, the US exported 1.317 million tons of scrap. The exports surged higher by nearly 36% over the previous month and by 6.3% over the previous year. The largest importer of US scrap during the month was Turkey. The imports of US scrap by the country increased sharply by 56.7% year-on-year to 519,000 tons, when matched with the exports of 331,000 tons during Mat last year.

Exports-April ’16

The country’s steel scrap exports totaled 969,409 tons during April this year. The exports dropped marginally by 2.6% when matched with the previous month. Year-on-year, the exports have recorded sharp decline of 16.9%. The largest export destination of US scrap during the month was Turkey. The exports to Turkey totaled 261,488 tons, accounting for nearly 27% share of US exports during the month. The other key importers of US scrap were South Korea (125,816 tons), India (121,774 tons), Taiwan (97,979 tons) and Mexico (80,632 tons).

Exports-Mar ’16

In March ’16, the US exported 995,288 tons of scrap. The exports dropped by 3.6% over the previous month and by 19.1% over the previous year. The total value of scrap exports amounted to $2.528 billion during the month, significantly down by 34% over the previous year.

In March ’16, the US exported 995,288 tons of scrap

The largest importer of US scrap during the month was Turkey. The imports of US scrap by the country dropped by 5.1% year-on-year to 247,891 tons. In second place was India with 150,381 tons, followed by Mexico (120,087 tons), Korea (107,750 tons) and Taiwan (105,007 tons).

The following table summarizes the country’s steel scrap exports during the initial six-month period of the current year.

Month->

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Scrap Exports (Tons)

552,000

1,033,000

995,288

969,409

1,317,000

1,034,000


Data Source Statement: Except for publicly available information, all other data are processed by SMM based on publicly available information, market communication, and relying on SMM's internal database model. They are for reference only and do not constitute decision-making recommendations.

For any inquiries or for more information, please contact: lemonzhao@smm.cn
For more information on how to access our research reports, please contact:service.en@smm.cn
Related News
Secondary Copper Rod Operating Rate Rises in August 2026, High Prices and Tax Costs Squeeze Profits
7 hours ago
Secondary Copper Rod Operating Rate Rises in August 2026, High Prices and Tax Costs Squeeze Profits
Read More
Secondary Copper Rod Operating Rate Rises in August 2026, High Prices and Tax Costs Squeeze Profits
Secondary Copper Rod Operating Rate Rises in August 2026, High Prices and Tax Costs Squeeze Profits
The operating rate of secondary copper rod was 11.83% in August 2026, higher than the expected 10.26%, up 1.57 percentage points MoM but down 16.5 percentage points YoY. In August 2026, the average price difference between copper cathode rod and secondary copper rod stayed high at 1,450-1,874 yuan/mt throughout the month. The average discount of secondary copper rod in Jiangxi against copper futures fluctuated between 722 yuan/mt and 1,418 yuan/mt,...
7 hours ago
Rio Tinto Secures Indigenous Consent for Winu Copper-Gold Project in Western Australia
7 hours ago
Rio Tinto Secures Indigenous Consent for Winu Copper-Gold Project in Western Australia
Read More
Rio Tinto Secures Indigenous Consent for Winu Copper-Gold Project in Western Australia
Rio Tinto Secures Indigenous Consent for Winu Copper-Gold Project in Western Australia
Rio Tinto said it has secured Indigenous consent for its Winu copper-gold project in Western Australia, allowing the project to move forward. The company said it has established a long-term partnership with Nyangumarta Warrarn Aboriginal Corporation (NWAC) covering development of the mine on Nyangumarta country. The agreement builds on a project planning agreement signed in 2023, setting out how Nyangumarta people and Rio Tinto will work together as planning advances, including measures to avoid impacts on the environment and Indigenous cultural heritage.
7 hours ago
Chengtun Mining Aims to Reduce Debt Ratio as Projects Progress and Cash Flow Strengthens
7 hours ago
Chengtun Mining Aims to Reduce Debt Ratio as Projects Progress and Cash Flow Strengthens
Read More
Chengtun Mining Aims to Reduce Debt Ratio as Projects Progress and Cash Flow Strengthens
Chengtun Mining Aims to Reduce Debt Ratio as Projects Progress and Cash Flow Strengthens
At the 2026 semi-annual results briefing held on September 11, Chengtun Mining stated that the current elevated debt ratio is mainly a phased result of the company's investment in high-quality copper, gold, and silver mine resources in China and overseas. At present, the domestic and overseas projects have just completed the resource delivery stage. The company implements dynamic management of capital expenditure, prioritizing debt repayment and mine operations, and flexibly adjusts new investment based on metal prices. In the medium and long term, as capacity is released and operating cash flow continues to strengthen, the company has a clear target of reducing its debt ratio, steadily bringing leverage down to a reasonable level for the industry. All of the company's resource investments have undergone rigorous calculations, and the cash flow contributions from future projects can gradually absorb the debt.
7 hours ago
US steel scrap exports tumbled 22% in June - Shanghai Metals Market (SMM)