The Bureau of International Recycling (BIR) has released the 17th edition of its World Steel Recycling in Figures report, covering the 2021-2025 period. Speaking at the BIR Ferrous Division meeting in Gothenburg, Statistics Advisor Rolf Willeke highlighted a notable trend in 2025: recycled steel consumption continued to grow even as global crude steel production declined.
According to the report, global crude steel output fell by 1.9 percent year on year to approximately 1.85 billion mt. World Steel Association (worldsteel) data showed that 69.4 percent of steel production came from the basic oxygen furnace route, while electric arc furnaces accounted for 30.3 percent. While output from oxygen furnaces declined, electric arc furnace production recorded a slight increase, reflecting the industry's gradual shift toward lower-carbon steelmaking routes. An important indicator of this transition, global direct reduced iron (DRI) production, increased by a further 4.9 percent to approximately 153 million mt. India remained the world's largest DRI producer, with output rising by 7.4 percent to around 58.9 million mt.
China and India drive recycled steel demand growth
Recycled steel consumption across the countries and regions covered by the report increased by 4.5 percent year on year to 480 million mt despite a 2.5 percent decline in crude steel production within those markets. The covered markets account for approximately 75 percent of global steel use in steelmaking.
China maintained its position as the world's largest recycled steel consumer, increasing consumption by 8.3 percent to 227 million mt even though its crude steel production declined by 4.4 percent. India also recorded strong growth in both recycled steel consumption and crude steel output, further underlining its growing importance in the global steel sector.
According to calculations by BIR and worldsteel, approximately 630 million mt of recycled steel is used annually in global steelmaking. This helps avoid nearly 950 million mt of carbon emissions while reducing energy consumption and conserving natural resources, reinforcing the strategic role of scrap in the steel industry's decarbonization efforts.
Turkey continued to stand out as one of the most scrap-intensive steel-producing countries, with recycled steel accounting for 86.8 percent of crude steel production. By comparison, the share stood at just 23.6 percent in China due to the country's continued reliance on blast furnace-based production.
Turkey remains largest scrap importer
Turkey retained its position as the world's largest scrap importer in 2025 despite a 6.6 percent decline in imports to 18.768 million mt. The country's largest suppliers remained the United States and the Netherlands. Shipments from the US fell by 20.4 percent to 3.608 million mt, while imports from the Netherlands edged down by 0.1 percent to 2.764 million mt.
India remained the second-largest scrap importer globally, with imports declining by five percent to 8.040 million mt. The United States continued to be India's largest supplier, exporting 1.320 million mt, while shipments from the UK totaled 890,000 mt.
Elsewhere, scrap imports increased significantly in several regions. Imports to the EU-27 rose by 28.8 percent to 4.991 million mt, while the US recorded a 5.1 percent increase to 4.662 million mt. Pakistan posted one of the strongest growth rates, with imports rising by 39.8 percent to 3.022 million mt. In contrast, imports declined sharply in Taiwan and South Korea, falling by 38.1 percent and 17.4 percent respectively.
EU and US continue to dominate scrap exports
The EU-27 remained the world's largest scrap exporter in 2025 despite a two percent decline in shipments to 16.684 million mt. Turkey continued to be the largest destination for European scrap exports, importing 10.824 million mt, while exports to Egypt increased by 13.4 percent to 1.86 million mt. The Netherlands retained its position as the EU's largest individual scrap exporter, with shipments increasing by 4.39 percent to 3.922 million mt.
The US remained the world’s second-largest scrap exporter despite an 18.4 percent decline in exports to 11.767 million mt. Turkey and Bangladesh remained its main export destinations, though shipments to both countries declined during the year.
Several other major exporting nations recorded strong growth. Scrap exports from Japan increased by 17.96 percent to 7.711 million mt, while shipments from the United Kingdom rose by 4.4 percent to 6.532 million mt. Mexico and Singapore also recorded substantial increases, with exports rising by 34.1 percent and 33.3 percent respectively. Meanwhile, exports from Canada declined by 5.4 percent to 4.280 million mt, while shipments from Hong Kong fell by 8.7 percent to 1.100 million mt.