
According to the latest Mineral Industry Survey report from US Geological Survey, the U.S. aluminium industry recovered 290,000 tonnes from scrap in January 2019. The amount drops 6% YoY, indicating a drop in domestic recycling. Of this, 172,000 tonnes of aluminium was recovered from new scrap and 118,000 tonne was recovered from old scrap.

The country imported 54,000 tonnes of aluminium scrap in January, up from 48,400 tonnes in December 2018. The US imported about 51,000 tonnes of aluminium scrap in January 2018. This shows a steady import flow of scraps to the US.
On the other hand, the U.S. exported 140,000 tonnes of aluminium scrap in January 2019, down 16% from 167,000 tonnes exported in December 2018. However, the volume increased about 20% from 117,000 tonnes exported in January 2018.
A big change is seen in the aluminium scrap export market dynamics before and after the implementation of 10% tariffs on imported aluminium by the US, and China’s retaliatory tariffs of 50% on US aluminium scrap export. The US exported about 51,700 tonnes of scrap to China in January 2018 and the volume dropped to 36,400 tonnes in January 2019. The scrap export to China significantly dropped in mid-2018 and has slowly picked up in December 2018 after the positive development in the trade negotiations between China and the US.
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