Steel scrap is the largest metal recycling trade in the world. The deep-sea flow runs from the industrialised collectors — the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom and Japan — to the electric-furnace steelmakers of Turkey, South and South-East Asia and the Middle East.
Steel scrap is the largest metal recycling trade in the world. The deep-sea flow runs from the industrialised collectors — the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom and Japan — to the electric-furnace steelmakers of Turkey, South and South-East Asia and the Middle East.
Roughly a hundred million tonnes of steel scrap cross a border every year. The pattern is simple to state: countries that have been industrialised for generations have more obsolete steel than their mills can use, and countries building fast with electric-arc and induction furnaces need more than they collect. Scrap moves from the first group to the second.
Four exporters dominate. The United States ships from the East Coast, the Gulf and the West Coast; the European Union, led by Germany, the Netherlands, France and Belgium, ships largely through Rotterdam, Antwerp and the German North Sea ports; the United Kingdom, which has few scrap-consuming mills of its own, exports most of what it collects; and Japan sells its surplus across the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea.
On the buying side Turkey stands alone. Its Marmara, Aegean and İskenderun EAF mills take more imported scrap than any other country, roughly a fifth of the world trade, and the “Turkish HMS 80:20 CFR” price is the benchmark the whole ferrous trade reads every morning. India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Vietnam, South Korea, Taiwan, Egypt, Malaysia and Indonesia follow.
| From | To | What moves | How it ships |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States (East Coast, Gulf) | Turkey | HMS 80:20, shredded, bonus grades | Bulk vessels, 25,000–50,000 t, loaded at Port Newark, Philadelphia, Houston |
| United States (West Coast) | South Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam, Bangladesh | HMS, shredded, P&S | Bulk and containers from Los Angeles–Long Beach, Tacoma, Oakland |
| European Union (Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, France) | Turkey, Egypt, Pakistan, India | HMS 80:20, shredded, E3/E8 grades | Bulk from Rotterdam, Antwerp, Hamburg, Bremerhaven; containers for small lots |
| United Kingdom | Turkey, Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Egypt | HMS, shredded, bundles | Bulk from Tilbury, Liverpool, Cardiff; containers from Felixstowe, Southampton |
| Japan | Vietnam, South Korea, Bangladesh, Taiwan | H2 grade, shredded, shindachi | Coastal bulk vessels of 3,000–10,000 t from Tokyo Bay, Osaka, Nagoya |
| Australia, New Zealand | Vietnam, Bangladesh, Indonesia, India | HMS, shredded | Bulk and containers from Newcastle, Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland |
| Russia, Baltic states | Turkey | A3 grade, HMS | Black Sea and Baltic bulk; subject to export duties and sanctions |
| Gulf states (UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait) | India, Pakistan, Bangladesh | HMS, demolition scrap | Containers from Jebel Ali, Hamriyah, Dammam |
| Hong Kong, Singapore | China, Vietnam, Indonesia | HMS, shredded, bundles | Containers and small bulk; transhipment hubs |
Export cargoes are sold on the ReMA code-word grades or the European E-grades. HMS 1&2 blended 80:20 is the standard bulk cargo; shredded trades at a premium; bonus grades (busheling, P&S, bundles) are added to lift the average. Turkish mills publish what they will accept and reject cargoes that fail the pre-shipment inspection.
Containerised scrap — the route for Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi buyers who take smaller lots — is sold by the box, with 20-foot containers loaded to around 24 tonnes. Our container-loading guide covers the practice.
Exporting countries increasingly watch their own scrap. The European Union has tightened the rules on shipping scrap to countries outside the OECD, Russia applies export duties, and several developing countries have discussed restricting exports to feed their own mills. Importing countries set their own conditions: India requires pre-shipment inspection certificates and radiation screening, China admits only material meeting its recycled-steel standard, and Turkey inspects every cargo at discharge.
Carbon pricing is the newest influence. The European CBAM applies to imported steel, which makes low-carbon EAF steel made from scrap more valuable and has prompted debate about keeping European scrap in Europe. Our rules guides follow each of these.
Each country page carries its mills, smelters, yards, price references and the named firms on this site.