US aluminium scrap recovery totaled 8,244 mln lb in 2015, up 2.8% over 2014

The U.S. aluminium industry purchased an estimated 746 million pounds of aluminium scrap during January 2016, according to aluminium recycling statistics published by the U.S. Geological Survey, Department of Interior, down 9.2 per cent from the January 2015 total of 822 million.

USGS estimates that recovery of aluminium and aluminium alloys totaled 653 million pounds, a decrease of 8.6 per cent year-over-year. Preliminary data indicate that recovery of aluminium from scrap totaled an estimated 8,244 million pounds in 2015, up 2.8 per cent over the 2014 total of 8,018 million.

U.S. exports of scrap, not included in the government’s consumption statistics, totaled 215 million pounds in January, down 4.8 per cent from January 2015.

Aluminium imports of ingot, scrap and mill products into the U.S. and Canada (excluding cross-border trade) totaled 505 million pounds in February 2016, up 4.8 per cent over the February 2015 total of 482 million pounds. Including scrap, which accounted for roughly 47 per cent of reported aluminium exports in February, exports totaled 486 million pounds, up 5.7 per cent over a year ago.

Excluding scrap, exports totaled 257 million pounds, up 12.5 per cent over last year. Exports of scrap decreased 1.1 per cent year-over-year. Through the first two months of 2016, total imports were up 7.2 per cent to 1,083 million pounds while exports were up 4.9 per cent to 940 million pounds.