US copper scrap exports to Belgium are on the rise, as indicated by numbers between January to October 2019.
During that 10-month span, exports of No. 1 copper, including bare bright wire, reached 6,103.76mt compared to 5,241.68mt in 2018—a 16.44pc increase.
Copper No. 2 exports totaled 10,740.27mt through the first 10 months of 2019, a 47pc increase compared to the same period last year when it was 7,266.4mt.
Monthly average exports of refined No. 1 copper bare bright wire (between January 2018 and March 2019) was 75.09mt, while, between April and October 2019, it averaged 282.92mt, for an increase of 270pc.
The increase during this period reflects Aurubis’s takeover of Metallo in May 2019. Coupled with decreased Chinese demand, as well as an increase in their refined copper production, US copper scrap has gained attention in Belgian markets.