US exports of copper decreased by 25.7pc in October to 25,538mt compared to the same period a year ago. Through the first nine months of the year, copper exports dropped 22.4pc from 333,906mt, during the same period in the prior year, to 259,131mt.
Bare Bright wire was the only copper grade to see an increase in exports during the month. Shipments of this grade increased 14pc to 5,261mt in October compared with 4,614mt in October 2018. Bare Bright exports increased 24.3pc through the first nine months of 2019 to 48,824mt compared with 39,290.07mt during the same period in 2018.
The Chinese market was the biggest importer for this grade buying 907mt of Bare Bright from the US during the month.
No.1 copper saw the largest decline in exports in October dropping by 36.7pc to 6,631mt compared with 10,469mt in October 2018. Exports for this grade also dropped 40.4pc in the first nine months of the year to 66,658mt from 111,863mt during the same period in the prior year.
Germany was the largest importer for this copper grade buying 918mt of the metal in October 2019.
Exports of No. 2 copper decreased by 0.3pc in October to 10,664mt from 10,699,547mt in October 2018. Exports for this grade fell 16.4pc for the nine months ended September to 96,915.68mt from 115,921mt during the same period last year. Malaysia was the largest importer for No.2 copper purchasing 742mt of this grade from the US.
Red brass decreased by 37.3pc to 1,876mt in October compared to the same time last year. However, the copper alloy’s exports increased 25.6pc in the nine months ended September 2019 to 20,681mt compared with 16,470mt during the same period in the prior year.
Exports of yellow brass decreased by 22pc in October to 3,555mt from 4,558mt in October 2018. In the first nine months of 2019 exports for this copper alloy increased 2.2pc to 42,780mt compared with 41,871mt last year.
The exports of refined copper in October decreased by 4.1pc to 14,887mt from 15,528.55mt in October 2018. Refined copper exports decreased by 16.1pc in the first nine months of 2019 to 141,813mt compared with 168,934mt during the same time last year. However imports of refined copper incresaed in October as well as the first nine months of the year by 8.8pc and 0.7pc to 2,427mt and 22,748mt respectively.