In September this year, China did not import any steel scrap, just as in August when inward scrap shipments came to a halt, according to the Chinese customs authorities. As previously reported, starting from July 1 this year in China, cast iron scrap, scrap of other alloy steel, scrap of tin-plated steel, scrap of iron and steel produced in mechanical processing and remelting scrap ingots of iron and steel have been moved from previous non-restricted import categories into restricted import categories of solid waste that can be used as raw materials. According to the new policy, all scrap metal importers in China need import licenses issued under approved quarterly quotas from July 1 before they can import any material.
In the January-September period of the current year, China’s import volumes of scrap amounted to 180,000 mt, down 83.7 percent year on year, according to the revised monthly import and export data issued by the Chinese customs authorities.
China exported 117 mt scrap in September, down 90.9 percent year on year. In the January-September period, China’s export volumes of scrap amounted to 2,518 mt, down 99.2 percent year on year.