GACC: China's Jan-Nov aluminum scrap imports up 12% YoY

China's imports of aluminum scrap during January-November this year totalled 1.8 million tonnes, higher by a significant 12.2 per cent compared with the same period last year, according to the latest data released by the country's General Administration of Customs (GACC).

In November alone, China's aluminum scrap imports rose by 2.8 per cent on month and jumped 17.7 per cent on year to reach 162,756 tonnes, GACC data showed.

By country, Thailand renained the top aluminum scrap supplier to China last month, with shipments growing 3.1 per cent on month and 6.6 per cent on year respectively to reach 27,559 tonnes, accounting for 16.9 per cent of China's total Imports. according to the data.

Meanwhile, aluminum scrap imported from the UK the second-largest supplier of the material to China - hit a seven-month high of 23,237 tonnes in November, rising further by 6.4 per cent from October and surging 45.3 per cent compared with the same month last year, the data showed.

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

The persistent tightness in domestic aluminum scrap supply and resilient scrap demand among secondary aluminum manufacturers continued to underpin China's aluminum scrap imports last month, Mysteel Globa noted.

"Although China's aluminum market has entered the traditional winter lull, end-users' demand for aluminum products has not shown any significant decline," a market watcher based in Shanghai said.

As such, producers of secondary aluminum semis kept their production at high levels, Mysteel's survey showed. In November, the total output of secondary aluminum alloy ingots among the 158 smelters under Mysteel's tracking reached 587,100 tonnes, higher by a large 12.9 per cent on year.

Also read: As the US and EU ring-fencing aluminium scrap through targeted measures, will Asia withstand the supply pressure?

The firm demand for aluminum scrap also provided upward momentum for the prices of imported scrap materials, Mysteel Global noted.

During November, the average price for imported 6063 high-grade aluminum scrap in South China's Guangdong province was assessed by Mysteel at Yuan 17,490 per tonne USD $2,488 per tonne), up 0.5 per cent on month and higher by 4.4 per cent on year.

Must read: Key industry individuals share their thoughts on the trending topics 

Note: This news is published under a content and exchange agreement with Mysteel