US ferrous scrap imports from Northern Europe on record pace

17 October 2016

Ferrous scrap from Northern Europe has flowed to the US at near-record levels through the first eight months of the year, driven by a strong US dollar, US mill demand for prime scrap grades and weak scrap demand around Europe, data showed this week.

US ferrous scrap imports topped 400,000 mt in August, and at the current monthly rate, annual US imports are on pace to top 4 million mt this year, according to data from the US Department of Commerce and US International Trade Commission.

Through the first eight months of 2016, US scrap imports are up 89.8% from Sweden, 105% from the UK and 119.3% from the Netherlands on a year-on-year basis. Sweden and the Netherlands are on pace to reach all-time record volumes of scrap shipments to the US this year, and the UK is on pace for its highest levels in 10 years.

The US remains the world’s largest exporter of scrap, but last year it was also the fourth largest importer of scrap, a position it is likely to maintain this year. Through August, the US has exported 7.98 million mt and imported 2.80 million mt of ferrous scrap. A majority of the scrap exported from the US is HMS I, HMS II, plate & structural scrap and shredded scrap, while the US mostly imports No. 1 busheling and No. 1 bundles as well as shredded scrap.

Source – Platts