Copper scrap imports extend declines in Sep

SHANGHAI, Oct 26 (SMM) – China imported 193,600 mt of copper scrap in September, down 13.94% from a month ago and 39.81% from a year ago, showed data from China Customs.

Copper scrap imports totalled 1.8 million mt in January-September, 35% lower than the same period last year.

In metal content, September’s imports equated to 116,000 mt with average copper content of 59.9%, down 12,600 mt from August.

Category Six materials accounted for about 65% of overall copper scrap imports while Category Seven accounted for some 35%.

Copper scrap from the US saw contracted 50% month-on-month in September and the monthly figure stood at the lowest thus far this year amid the ongoing tariff war with the world’s largest economy.

Chinese copper fabricators and importers received about 10,000 mt of copper scrap from the US in September, compared to the high of 50,000 mt in May. The proportion of US copper scrap to overall imports came in at 5% last month, sharply down from the peak of 26% in February.

A 25% duty on such imports, effective from August 23, forced Chinese copper fabricators and importers to give up purchasing from the US while increasingly stringent inspection from China Certification & Inspection (Group) Co. (CCIC) suppressed trans-shipments.