US exports of aluminum scrap declined for the second straight month, despite high demand from Asian countries.
Aluminum scrap exports decreased by 15.3pc to 151,528mt in November compared with 178,820mt a year earlier, as declines in exports of remelt and other aluminum scrap offset the gains made by exports of used aluminum beverage cans (UBCs), according to the latest data from the US Census Bureau.
Exports of scrap other than UBCs or RSI—a category made up mostly of nonferrous shred zorba—decreased by 17.4pc to 138,849mt in November from a year earlier. Malaysia was the biggest buyer of US shipments, importing more than 40,000mt of the scrap in November.
Malaysia was also the biggest overall importer of aluminum scrap, taking in shipments of 41,494mt from the US during the month. India and South Korea imported 23,470mt and 22,858.6mt of scrap, respectively. Mexico, which announced a slew of new infrastructure projects in late 2019, became one of the top importers for aluminum. The country imported 17,158mt of scrap from the US in November.
US UBC exports almost doubled in November to 6,014mt, up from 3,453mt a year earlier, as domestic demand for the grade weakened on abundant supply and falling demand. RSI exports decreased from to 6,663mt in November from 7,237mt in the prior year period.
Year-to-date US exports of aluminum scrap up, rising 7.7pc to 1.73mn mt in the first 11 months of the year.