Malaysia Al scrap imports up, Cu drops in May

Malaysia’s aluminium scrap imports rose by 17pc in May from the prior-year period on high demand of aluminium ingots from China. Copper scrap imports, however, dropped by 44pc on tight supply from western countries.

Malaysia imported 25,633mt of aluminium scrap in May, up from 21,996mt from the prior-year period after the country turned into a conduit for China, when China restricted imports of non-ferrous scrap metals. Malaysia now processes aluminium scrap into alloys for China. Malaysia exported 51,461mt of unwrought aluminium alloy in May, of which 29,647mt was exported to China. While in the prior-year period, Malaysia exported 43,312mt of alloy, of which exports to China constituted 6,434mt.

The US continued to be the top exporter of both aluminium and copper scrap to Malaysia in May. Aluminium scrap exports from the US to Malaysia rose by 56pc, as India, a major importing hub was also shut due to COVID-19 related lockdowns, turning South east Asian countries into a preferred destination for aluminium scrap.