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THE I SR I SCRAP YEARBOOK
2016
INSTITUTE OF SCRAP RECYCLING INDUSTRIES, INC.
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Zinc and lead are the two most widely used nonferrous
metals after aluminum and copper. Although lead has been
used for centuries as a building material and to produce
ceramic glazes,
leaded glass and
crystal, paints, or
other protective
coatings, lead’s
emergence as
an important
industrial metal
in the modern ages dates from the development of storage
battery technology in the mid-19th century. The recycling
of automotive-type batteries spawned a viable secondary
lead smelting industry in the United States. In 2015, the U.S.
Geological Survey reports that lead-acid batteries again
accounted for about 90 percent of domestic lead use.
Other uses of lead include rolled and extruded products,
shot and ammunition, alloys, pigments and compounds, and
cable sheathing. USGS figures show that 1.12 million metric
tons of secondary lead was produced in the U.S. last year – an
amount equivalent to 69 percent of apparent domestic lead
consumption, of which the vast majority was recovered from
postconsumer scrap.
The U.S. Lead Industry
YEAR
2011
1,130,000
1,540,000
31,000
2012
1,110,000
1,500,000
26,000
2013
1,150,000
1,700,000
34,000
2014
1,130,000
1,670,000
36,000
2015
1,120,000
1,620,000
46,000
LEAD RECOVERED
FROM SCRAP (MT)
TOTAL LEAD USAGE
(MT)
Source: USGS, Census Bureau, ISRI Estimates
LEAD SCRAP
EXPORTS (MT)
Lead and Zinc