According to the "World Steel Recycling in Figures 2008-2012" report released by The Bureau of International Recycling (BIR), the world's total external steel
scrap trade reached 106.6 milllion mt in 2012, decreasing by 1.9 percent from 2011, of which nearly 28 percent was attributable to inter-EU trade.
The report shows that
Turkey's position as the world's foremost importer of steel
scrap was reinforced in 2012, with
Turkey's overseas purchases of steel
scrap climbing by around 4.5 percent year on year in the given year to 22.4 million mt.
South Korea was another country which increased its
scrap imports in 2012 with a year-on-year rise of 17.4 percent to 10.1 million mt, while India's
scrap imports rose 32.4 percent in 2012 to 8.2 million mt, compared to 2011. Steel
scrap imports into
Canada in 2012 amounted to 2.3 milion mt, rising 22.6 percent over 2011. However,
China recorded a strong year-on-year drop of 26.5 percent in overseas steel
scrap purchases last year, importing 4.97 milllion mt, while declines in
scrap imports were also registered in Taiwan (down seven percent to 4.95 million mt), in the
US (down 7.2 percent to 3.7 million mt) and in the EU-27 (down 8.1 percent to 3.4 million mt).
In 2012, there was a year-on-year decline of around 12.2 percent in
US steel
scrap exports to 21.4 million mt from the high figure recorded in 2011. But in spite of this drop, the
US remained the world's leading exporter of steel
scrap, while the biggest buyer of its
scrap was
Turkey with a 13.8 percent rise to 6.4 million mt in 2012. BIR also highlighted a steep decline of 54 percent in
US shipments to
China (1.95 million mt) as well as a drop in
Canada's overall steel
scrap exports of around 12.1 percent to 4.25 million mt, both compared to the previous year.
According to BIR's report, whereas EU steel mills reduced their steel
scrap usage, the region's exports jumped 2.1 percent to 19.2 million mt in 2012, with
Turkey maintaining its position as the biggest buyer of EU steel
scrap with 11 million mt, up 10.9 percent over 2011. BIR noted that, in 2012
Turkey was the biggest buyer of steel
scrap for all the main
scrap exporting countries of the EU-27. Meanwhile, after a difficult 2011, Japan's steel
scrap export volumes jumped 57.9 percent year on year to 8.5 milllion mt last year, with shipments to South Korea soaring 69.9 percent year on year to 4.9 million mt. BIR noted that Japan's exports were positively influenced in 2012 by favourable short shipping routes.