2016Yearbook_Flipbook

2016

THE I SR I SCRAP YEARBOOK

Copper

Copper was one of the first metals used by humanity, with archaeological evidence indicating its use more than 10,000 years ago. Today, copper remains a vital commodity used in construction, electrical equipment, transportation, consumer goods, and other products. Copper scrap is used at smelters and refineries to produce refined copper and is used at the semi-fabrication stage to produce copper rods, bars, wire, and other semi-fabricated shapes, which are transformed into power cables, plumbing tubes, and other end-use products. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, in 2015 old scrap provided 160,000 metric tons of copper and purchased new scrap – derived from fabricating operations – contributed 670,000 metric tons of contained copper. Major consumers of copper and copper alloy scrap in the United States last year included brass mills (79 percent), smelter, refineries, and ingot makers (15 percent), and chemical plants and miscellaneous manufacturers (6 percent).

In 2015, ISRI estimates that copper scrap usage in the United States represented 34 percent of total U.S. apparent consumption of refined copper. Globally, the International Copper Study Group has estimated world copper recycling input rates of between 33-35 percent in recent years, while the overall recycling efficiency rate (the efficiency with which old and new scrap are collected and recycled) has regularly exceeded 60 percent. The Bureau of International Recycling estimated that global consumption of copper scrap exceeded 10 million metric tons in 2011, although more recent data from ICSG indicate global copper scrap consumption of less than 9 million metric tons per year. The U.S. Copper Industry

COPPER RECOVERED FROM SCRAP (MT)

TOTAL COPPER USAGE (MT)

COPPER SCRAP EXPORTS (MT)

YEAR 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

780,000 820,000 810,000 820,000 830,000

2,380,000 2,420,000 2,410,000 2,380,000 2,450,000

1,243,000 1,189,000 1,155,000 1,045,000

954,000

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INSTITUTE OF SCRAP RECYCLING INDUSTRIES, INC.