Global aluminium scrap imports fall to 11.9 Mt, even as recycled output climbs to 41.9 Mt

The global aluminium recycling market entered 2025 with record material recovery but shrinking mobility of scrap. While worldwide secondary aluminium consumption touched 28.4 million tonnes as compared to primary consumption of 72.4 million tonnes in 2024, global recycled aluminium production reached 41.7 million tonnes during the same timeframe.

Image for reference only 

Explore- Most accurate data to drive business decisions with 50+ reports across the value chain

According to the International Aluminium Institute’s material-flow modelling cited in AL Circle’s World Recycled Aluminium Market Analysis: Industry forecast to 2032, total aluminium scrap flows combining domestic recycling and cross-border trade expanded from 25.6 million tonnes in 2013 to 41.4 million tonnes in 2023, marking a compound annual growth rate of 4.92 per cent over the decade. By 2024, old and new scrap recycling volumes reached 41.9 million tonnes, with post-consumer scrap accounting for 25.4 million tonnes.

Yet this growth in recycled output has not been matched by trade. Global aluminium scrap imports, which climbed from 9.53 million tonnes in 2020 to a peak of 12.36 million tonnes in 2022, slipped to 11.92 million tonnes in 2024. Over the same period, exports fell much more sharply, from 17.54 million tonnes in 2022 to 12.49 million tonnes in 2024. Nations are now prioritising domestic scrap retention, no longer treating scrap as a tradable surplus but as an industrial asset.

Thailand and Italy dominate the scrap still being traded

The UN Comtrade HS-7602 dataset for calendar year 2024 shows how narrow the remaining corridor of traded scrap has become. Thailand emerged as the world’s largest reported importer of aluminium waste and scrap in 2024, absorbing 789,856 tonnes with an import value of USD 1.31 billion. Italy followed with 582,017 tonnes valued at USD 1.02 billion.

The third-largest importer, Canada, trailed far behind at 125,689 tonnes worth USD 218.9 million, while Luxembourg imported 110,106 tonnes valued at USD 234.9 million and Pakistan 100,931 tonnes worth USD 95.5 million. Beyond these five, volumes collapse into statistical irrelevance.