The General Administration of Customs, in conjunction with other departments, released the import standards for recycled resources, which are slightly more lenient compared to national standards [SMM Analysis]

According to the WeChat official account "Customs Release" on October 24, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, the General Administration of Customs, and other six departments issued an announcement on the import management of secondary copper and copper alloy raw materials, as well as secondary aluminum and aluminum alloy raw materials.

The announcement mentioned the following requirements for the import management of secondary copper and copper alloy raw materials, and secondary aluminum and aluminum alloy raw materials:

1. Secondary copper and copper alloy raw materials, and secondary aluminum and aluminum alloy raw materials that meet the requirements of the attached table are not considered solid waste and can be freely imported. Secondary metal raw materials that do not meet the requirements of the attached table are prohibited from being imported. If customs find that imported secondary metal raw materials are suspected to be solid waste, they can entrust professional institutions to conduct attribute identification. If identified as solid waste, they will be managed according to the relevant regulations on solid waste.

2. The customs commodity code for secondary copper raw material is 7404000030; the customs commodity code for secondary copper alloy raw material is 7404000040; the customs commodity code for secondary pure aluminum raw material is 7602000030; the customs commodity code for secondary wrought aluminum alloy raw material is 7602000040; the customs commodity code for secondary casting aluminum alloy raw material is 7602000020.

3. Different categories of secondary metal raw materials are not allowed to be mixed, and different categories of secondary metal raw materials are not allowed to be declared under the same customs declaration form.

4. In addition to meeting the special inspection requirements for radioactive contamination, the inspection of secondary metal raw materials should first adopt sensory inspection. When it cannot be determined whether they meet the requirements, they should be inspected according to the national standards GB/T 38470, GB/T 38471, GB/T 38472, GB/T 40382, GB/T 40386, or the corresponding inspection methods of the customs industry technical specifications.

5. This announcement will be implemented from November 15, 2024. The "Announcement on the Import Management of Secondary Brass Raw Material, Secondary Copper Raw Material, and Secondary Casting Aluminum Alloy Raw Material" (Announcement No. 43 of 2020 by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, General Administration of Customs, Ministry of Commerce, and Ministry of Industry and Information Technology) will be repealed simultaneously.

Compared with the national import standards, the General Administration of Customs did not subdivide the copper content standards for copper wire, mixed copper materials, and copper granules but adopted the minimum copper content of the national standard as the minimum standard for the three major categories of secondary copper raw material imports. The requirements for impurities also only set the minimum standard. Overall, the import standards are consistent with the national standards.

Regarding secondary copper alloy raw material, the latest standards set by customs only specify that the physical content of copper alloy in lump materials should not be less than 95% and impurities should be less than 0.8%. For turning materials, the minimum standard for the physical content of copper alloy is not less than 95%, and impurities should be less than 0.8%, which is consistent with the national standards.

Summary:

Compared with the old standards, the latest import standards for secondary copper raw material set by customs have relaxed the requirements for metal physical content and impurities but canceled the No. 3 copper granules with lower copper content and shredded copper raw material with higher impurity content. Regarding secondary copper alloy raw materials, import restrictions have also been relaxed, and new import standards for bronze, cupronickel, and high-copper lump and turning materials have been added. Other new additions mainly include prohibiting the import of discarded bombs, shells, and other explosive items; prohibiting the import of pressure vessels and sealed containers; and adjusting the hazardous waste content from 0% to 0.01%.

The latest import standards for secondary copper raw material and secondary copper alloy raw materials issued by the General Administration of Customs are undoubtedly aimed at expanding the import volume of recycled metals to meet the production needs of various domestic waste-utilizing enterprises. With the adjustment of import standards, it may drive the import of recycled metals into the next peak period.