Imports of used beverage cans (UBC) fell 20.97% month on month to 15,852 tons in September from 20,058 tons in August. Imports from Canada fell by 13.21% on the month to 10,969 tons. Imports from Mexico similarly fell 20.56% to 3,203 tons, down from 4,032 tons the month prior.
At the same time, US exports of UBCs to Mexico declined by 17.55% to 5,593 tons in September, down from 6,784 tons in August. For the first nine months of 2022, UBC imports from Mexico fell by 17.97% to 46,354 tons, down from 56,512 tons in the same period in 2021. But US exports of UBCs to Mexico rose substantially year on year, soaring to 50,135 tons in January-September 2022 from 8,786 in the first nine months of 2021.
In the first nine months of 2022, UBC imports rose 1.63% to 171,338 tons from 168,592 tons in the same year-earlier period.
Fastmarkets’ assessment of the used beverage cans, domestic aluminium producer buying price, fob shipping point US declined in September, beginning the month at 74-78 cents per lb and ending at 68-72 cents per lb. The price was last assessed at 70-74 cents per lb on November 3.
US industrial aluminium imports totaled 13,569 tons in September, down 2.86% from 13,968 tons in August. Imports from Canada rose 4.01% to 10,150 tons from 9,759 in August. However, deliveries from Mexico fell by 20.74% to 3,202 tons from 4,040 tons in August.
Despite the month-on-month decreases in September, industrial aluminium imports continued to register year-on-year gains. In January-September 2022, imports of industrial aluminium increased by 18.25% to 128,131 tons, up from 108,356 tons in the same period of 2021.
US imports of other aluminium scrap decreased by 4.11% in September to 23,295 tons, down from 24,294 tons in August. Imports from Canada increased 1.10% on the month to 14,047 tons, but imports from Mexico declined 8.93% to 8,071 tons in September.
In January-September 2022, other aluminium scrap imports fell by 22.43% year on year to 223,371 tons from 287,968 tons.
