Stainless scrap is a nickel trade. It flows from the United States, Europe and Japan to the stainless mills of India, Taiwan, South Korea, China and the European producers, with the price tied to LME nickel and the nickel content of each lot.
Stainless scrap is a nickel trade. It flows from the United States, Europe and Japan to the stainless mills of India, Taiwan, South Korea, China and the European producers, with the price tied to LME nickel and the nickel content of each lot.
The stainless scrap trade is smaller in tonnage than steel or aluminium but valuable, because every tonne of 304 scrap carries around 80 kilograms of nickel. Stainless mills run largely on scrap — a European or Indian 304 melt may be charged almost entirely with 304 scrap — so the mills chase it, and the price moves with the LME nickel price day by day.
Exporters are the United States, the European Union (Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, France), the United Kingdom and Japan, where process plant, kitchens, appliances and vehicles are scrapped. Importers are the stainless producers: India (Jindal Stainless and the Gujarat and Maharashtra mills), Taiwan, South Korea, China, and within Europe the mills in Italy, Spain, Finland, Belgium and Sweden. The United States is also a large consumer of its own scrap through its domestic stainless mills.
| From | To | What moves | How it ships |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | India, Taiwan, South Korea, Mexico, domestic mills | 304 and 316 solids, turnings, 400-series | Containers from Port Newark, Savannah, Houston; rail to domestic mills |
| European Union | EU mills (Italy, Spain, Finland, Belgium), India, Taiwan, Turkey | 304/316 solids, turnings, nickel alloys | Road and rail within the EU; containers from Rotterdam, Antwerp |
| United Kingdom | India, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Taiwan | Stainless solids, turnings | Containers from Felixstowe, Liverpool |
| Japan | South Korea, Taiwan, China, Thailand | 304 and 316 scrap, nickel alloys | Containers from Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya |
| Gulf states, Australia, Canada | India, Taiwan, South Korea | Stainless solids | Containers |
Every stainless lot is bought on its stated nickel content and checked by analyser; 304, 316, 200-series and 400-series are separate prices. Nickel-alloy scrap (Inconel, Monel, cupronickel) is a separate, far more valuable trade to specialist remelters. Stainless turnings are de-oiled and briquetted before shipment.
Stainless ships in containers; a 20-foot box of solids weighs around 20–24 tonnes and is sealed and inspected because of its value.
Stainless is usually free of the hazardous-waste rules that affect e-waste and batteries, but it is subject to the same import licensing and inspection as other scrap in India, China and South-East Asia, and nickel-alloy aerospace scrap can carry export-control paperwork. Chinese import of stainless scrap is permitted under its recycled-steel standard only for defined categories.
Each country page carries its mills, smelters, yards, price references and the named firms on this site.