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THE I SR I SCRAP YEARBOOK
2016
INSTITUTE OF SCRAP RECYCLING INDUSTRIES, INC.
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Aluminum Scrap - U.S. Exports
Given the tremendous energy savings associated with
using aluminum scrap – which can reach up to 95 percent
compared with primary metal, global demand for aluminum
scrap has rising sharply over the last decade. U.S. exports of
aluminum scrap – including used beverage containers and
RSI (aluminum alloy), increased from less than 1.1 million
metric tons in 2005 to nearly 1.6 million metric tons in 2015
according to trade data from the U.S. Census Bureau and U.S.
International Trade Commission.
China has been a key driver of global demand for aluminum
scrap and remains the largest overseas buyer of aluminum
scrap. Including Hong Kong (which is still treated as a
separate export destination in official U.S. trade data), the
U.S. exported nearly 875,000 mt of aluminum scrap to China
in 2015, accounting for 56 percent of total U.S. aluminum
scrap exports.
592
875
495
679
0
200
400
600
800
1,000
1,200
1,400
1,600
1,800
2005
2015
U.S. Aluminum Scrap Exports to China &Hong Kong and Rest of
World, 2005 and 2015 (thousandmetric tons)
Source: U.S. Census Bureau/U.S. International Trade Commission
Rest of World China & Hong Kong