US ferrous scrap exports declined by 9pc in December 2020 to 1.13mn mt from 1.24mn mt in the same month of 2019, according to US Census Bureau data.
In the full year 2020, US ferrous exports trended flat at 15.8mn mt. Turkey’s imports of US ferrous scrap during the past year stood at 4mn mt, up 3pc from 2019. Mexican imports rose by a third in the same period, tallying at 1.84mn mt, from 1.39mn mt in the prior year. In 2020, Bangladesh also saw a 33pc increase in ferrous imports to 1.3mn mt, compared with 1mn mt in 2019.
December
Shipments to Mexico, the largest importer in December, rose two-and-a-half times to 252,665mt from 90,646mt in December 2019. Vietnam surpassed Turkey to be the second-largest importer, with its shipments growing by 150pc to 158,145mt of ferrous scrap. Turkey’s imports declined by 66pc in December, with the country accepting 152,134mt, compared with 446,590mt in the same month of 2019
Coasts
East Coast ferrous scrap exports amounted to 562,410mt in December while the West Coast shipped out 232,502mt.
North America
Canada imported 40,271mt of US ferrous scrap in December while Mexico’s imports tallied at 252,665mt. In the full year 2020, the US exported 728,337mt of ferrous scrap to Canada, a rise of 19pc from 609,596mt in 2019. Mexico imported 1.84mn mt in 2020, up 33pc from 1.39mt in the prior year.