US exports of aluminum scrap rose by 1.4pc through the first two months of 2020, as suppliers offset lower sales to China with new markets, but fell slightly in February compared to the same month last year.
Aluminum scrap exports declined by 0.5pc to 148,675mt in February compared with 149,412mt a year earlier, because of a decrease in exports of remelt scrap ingot (RSI) and material other than used aluminum beverage cans (UBCs) and RSI, according to the latest data from the US Census Bureau.
Year-to-date US aluminum scrap exports increased to 294,917mt in the first two months of the year.
Exports of scrap other than UBCs or RSI—a category made up mostly of nonferrous shred zorba—fell by 4pc to 136,789mt in February from a year earlier, while RSI exports dropped by 16pc to 4,038mt during the same comparative period.
India was the largest Asian importer of US aluminum scrap with 32,893mt shipped during the month, followed by South Korea, which imported 23,479mt, and Malaysia, which imported 22,417mt of US aluminum scrap during the month. Exports to China and Indonesia stood at 11,210mt and 9,466mt, respectively, during the month.
In North America, Mexico imported 16,868mt of US aluminum scrap in February, followed by Canada, which imported 7,352mt. Russia, which imported 519mt, was the top European importer for the material during the month.
US UBC exports more than doubled in February, rising by 247pc to 7,848mt from 2,261mt a year earlier.
Among other nonferrous scrap exports, zinc exports dropped by 32.2pc in February to 2,234mt, while nickel increased by 6.5pc to 2,495mt from a year earlier.