Aluminium Scrap Export
AL Circle Analysis: US scrap imports hit 580kt as China slips 3.2%, who drives aluminium recycling?
Aluminium scrap is no longer a side story in the metal’s market. Rather, aluminium’s next standoff is over scrap. As US imports surge 37 per cent while China’s purchases decline, manufacturers in Europe and India are confronting a common challenge of securing affordable, reliable raw materials. With recycling rates, trade barriers and low-carbon production reshaping market, the global industry faces a critical question: who will control the metal that powers its circular future? Join the fourth edition of the webinar "Hedging for recyclers - Become an expert in 6 hours" by Jorge Dyszel. A 1.1-billion-tonne stockpile: US stocks up, China steps back, India asks for access The US imported 580,000 tonnes of aluminium scrap worth USD 2.07 billion in H1 2026 , with Canada accounting for 63.62...
FACE welcomes Porto Marghera stockpiling plan and scrap export monitoring, but calls for more coherent supply strategy
Security of aluminium supply is once again at the centre of Italy’s institutional debate. In response to a parliamentary question submitted in the Chamber of Deputies by MPs Squeri, Lovecchio and Casasco, Minister for Enterprises and Made in Italy Adolfo Urso referred to the measures introduced to monitor aluminium scrap exports to non-EU countries and to Porto Marghera’s bid to host Europe’s first strategic stockpiling site for critical raw materials. FACE welcomes the political attention being given to an issue that has been a priority for the aluminium value chain for decades: ensuring that European and Italian downstream industries have adequate access to raw materials at competitive prices. “Recognising aluminium as a strategic material is an important step, and FACE has been drawing...
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15th International Bauxite, Alumina & Aluminium Conference & Exhibition - IBAAS–VFMSTA 2026
ICSOBA 2026 - 44th International Conference and Exhibition
SMM AICE 2026 Southeast Asia Aluminum Conference
15th International Bauxite, Alumina & Aluminium Conference & Exhibition - IBAAS–VFMSTA 2026
ICSOBA 2026 - 44th International Conference and Exhibition
SMM AICE 2026 Southeast Asia Aluminum Conference
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A report that reveals where the aluminium casting industry is heading and how businesses can act.
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A report that reveals where the aluminium casting industry is heading and how businesses can act.
LEARN MOREEurope’s recycled aluminium production: Germany, Italy and the UK anchor a competitive market
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AL Circle Analysis: Guinea’s 150Mt bauxite cap, China’s import swings, US tariffs draw aluminium Q4’26
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News
China’s aluminium scrap imports fall 3.2% in H1 2026 amid supply and pricing pressures
China’s aluminium scrap market lost some momentum in the first half of 2026, with imports falling from a year earlier as higher prices, tighter overseas availability and weaker demand weighed on buying activity. Despite the decline, imports remained above the level recorded two years earlier. China imported 981,000 tonnes of aluminium scrap from the World in H1 2026, down 3.2 per cent from 1 million tonnes in H1 2025. The latest volume was, however, 3.6 per cent higher than the 947,000 tonnes imported in H1 2024. The H1 2026 total comprised 526,000 tonnes in Q1 and 455,000 tonnes in Q2, compared with 507,000 tonnes and 506,000 tonnes, respectively, in H1 2025. Overseas supply becomes a key constraint The weaker import performance came as Chinese buyers faced a less favourable...
Russia takes EU’s CBAM to WTO: 5 key questions for global climate, aluminium trade
The European Union’s (EU’s) Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) has entered a new phase of scrutiny. In light of the conflict between Russia and the EU, a new World Trade Organisation (WTO) panel was formed on September 25. The debate, initiated in May 2025, puts both the design and implementation of CBAM and aspects of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) under the WTO lens, with implications extending beyond the EU-Russia conflict and possibly entering the aluminium trade boundaries. Join the fourth edition of the webinar "Hedging for recyclers - Become an expert in 6 hours" by Jorge Dyszel. Why is Russia challenging the EU-ETS? Russia has challenged the EU’s Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) over the allocation of free emissions allowances to sectors considered vulnerable to carbon...
5083 aluminium holds durable growth potential, but real demand will hinge on marine, transport and defence programmes
In an interview with AL Circle, Rafael Suchan, CEO and co-founder of Metycle, a vertically integrated secondary metals company headquartered in Cologne, Germany, has shared his thoughts on the European Union’s aluminium scrap sourcing strategy and the demand trends of scrap grades. According to Rafael, the EU must aim for more scrap sourcing options since the bloc’s tighter non-OECD waste-export rules may lead to scrap material leaving Europe. Regarding aluminium scrap grades in demand, UBC scrap, clean extrusion scrap and segregated sheet are the highest consuming grades. Upon asking about the growth opportunities of 5083 high-magnesium aluminium alloys, he further said the pace will follow actual marine, transport and defence programmes. Before co-founding Metycle, Rafael Suchan served...
AL Circle Analysis: Europe’s aluminium scrap curbs, India’s risk and US’s supply opportunity
Aluminium recycling is supposed to be the industry’s easiest win — economic and eco-friendly. Interestingly, this is where the plot thickens. Aluminium recycling is moving from a sustainability objective to a strategic supply-chain issue, with scrap availability, domestic recovery, cross-border waste rules and decarbonisation policy influencing where recycled metal can be produced and consumed. Recent developments across Europe, such as the UK and Greece, in the US and India reveal that investment in recycling is accelerating, but access to suitable scrap and the rules governing its movement are becoming equally important. Join the fourth edition of the webinar "Hedging for recyclers - Become an expert in 6 hours" by Jorge Dyszel. Europe wants more recycled aluminium, but what is the...
Hydro highlights need for stronger aluminium scrap safeguards under EU waste rules
Hydro is calling for stronger measures to keep more aluminium scrap in Europe and support investment in the region’s recycling capacity. The company made the call during European Commission Executive Vice-President Stéphane Séjourné’s visit to Hydro’s aluminium recycling plant in Clervaux, Luxembourg. The facility processes post-consumer aluminium scrap from vehicles, buildings and infrastructure and has an annual capacity of 115,000 tonnes. Discussions during the visit covered aluminium scrap exports, the EU Waste Shipment Regulation and the policy conditions needed to support recycling in Europe. Rising scrap exports pressure recyclers The EU is considering a 15 per cent levy on aluminium scrap exports to retain more recyclable metal within Europe. The proposal comes as EU scrap exports...
EU aluminium scrap export rules face BIR pushback over India, Malaysia, Thailand cut-off
The EU aluminium scrap market could face disruption if proposed changes to the Waste Shipment Regulation (WSR) restrict access to major Asian recycling destinations, the Bureau of International Recycling (BIR) has warned. The Brussels-based association issued its response after the European Commission published a draft proposal on September 18 listing non-OECD countries authorised to receive certain non-hazardous materials from the EU . Excluding countries such as India , Malaysia and Thailand from authorised destinations for ferrous and nonferrous metals could weaken recycled material markets rather than strengthen Europe’s recycling capacity. Join the fourth edition of the webinar “Hedging for recyclers - Become an expert in 6 hours” by Jorge Dyszel. At the centre of BIR’s concern is...
Interviews
→Rafael Suchan
5083 aluminium holds durable growth potential, but real demand will hinge on marine, transport and defence programmes
Julia Ettinger
A measure intended to increase the availability of recycled aluminium in Europe could ultimately reduce it, says Julia Ettinger
Tom Jansen, TOMRA Recycling
Europe must treat domestic aluminium scrap as a strategic asset to meet its decarbonisation target without being dependent on imports
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