Aluminum scrap exports decreased by 2.6pc to 150,102mt in June compared with 154,081mt a year earlier, according to the latest data from the US Census Bureau.
Scrap exports improved by 20pc from May, with automotive production ramping up globally after the COVID-19 related shutdowns and an increase in electric vehicle production in the European Union.
In the first six months of 2020, these exports fell by 8pc to 855,560mt over 931,339mt in H1 2019.
Used beverage can (UBC) exports fell flat due to a shortage of availability for domestic recycling. Remelt scrap ingots saw the same fate in June. Therefore, the entire export batch consisted of other scrap aluminum, a segment mostly consisting of non-ferrous Zorba, which had stood at 2,247mt in June 2019.
Malaysia was the largest importer of US aluminum scrap, accepting 34,430mt in shipments, while South Korea and China followed at 21,169mt and 20,278mt, respectively.
Most other nonferrous scrap exports dropped in June, with copper declining 6.3pc to 62,289mt from a year earlier, zinc off by 40pc at 1,441mt and nickel down by 87pc at 1,015mt. However, US exports of lead saw rose by 32pc from the prior-year period to 6,988mt.