Scrap
Overview
Argus provides comprehensive and detailed coverage of the global ferrous and non-ferrous scrap markets, with over 1,000 prices assessed by a global network of highly skilled market experts.
Argus’ strength lies in our ability to create appropriate methodologies for the trading dynamics of a specific spot market and to provide mechanisms for valuing scrap alloys.
Participants in the scrap industry rely on our extensive price data to act as an independent contract settlement mechanism, and use our powerful tools, like the Argus Alloy Calculator, to estimate the intrinsic value of highly engineered alloys.
Ferrous coverage
Argus offers a comprehensive regional view of the most active spot markets for ferrous scrap in regions around the world. Each price is available for direct comparison in multiple markets, with currency and unit of measurement conversions available to standardise charts and facilitate detection of favourable trade conditions.
Distinguished by either fob dealer or delivered to consumer inco terms, all prices are aligned with common industry specifications for that region. Explore the full list of scrap prices and specifications, including the length of history available on the Argus Metals platform for the grades assessed.
- Bundles
- Busheling
- Foundry/specialty
- Heavy melt
- Machine shop turnings
- Plate and structural
- Shredded scrap
- Tool steel
- Stainless and super alloys
- Alloy Calculator, where the current value of any alloy can be calculated by an intrinsic value formula in the absence of sufficient liquidity to produce a proper assessment
Non-ferrous coverage
Argus provides the full range of non-ferrous coverage from scrap price assessments on UBC, zorba, taint, tweak, and twitch products, as well as exchange data (30-minute delay LME and Comex prices are standard with Argus products) and global base metal premiums. Explore the full list of scrap prices in each non-ferrous category and visit the exchange data page to understand the unique value that Argus brings through its analysis of global exchange prices.
- Aluminium prices
- Aluminium alloy prices
- Brass/bronze prices
- Copper prices
- Lead prices
- Nickel prices
- Stainless and alloys
- Zinc prices
- Alloy Calculator, including over 200 predefined common alloys
- Exchange data
Highlights of North American coverage
Argus’ coverage of the North American scrap market focuses on spot market trading patterns within the most active regional domestic trading locations, as well as on export transactions. The full value chain is represented in the suite of Argus scrap assessments, from collected at yard to delivered to consumer prices:
- 8 containerised scrap price locations
- 14 consumer buying scrap price locations, including US and Canada
- 8 export yard scrap buying price locations
- 4 dealer selling scrap price locations
- 139 regional US and Canada non-ferrous scrap yard collection prices
- Prime and obsolete grades of scrap price assessments
- Mill and foundry grades of scrap price assessments: Titanium, stainless and scrap alloy pricing
- Southern US busheling and shredded weighted average assessments
Highlights of European coverage
Argus Scrap Markets provides context and intelligence to European domestic scrap markets to help steel mills, scrap suppliers, buyers and industrial manufacturers gain a greater understanding of the markets in which they operate. Argus produces over 50 European scrap prices assessments, including:
- German domestic ferrous scrap prices
- Spanish domestic ferrous scrap prices
- Spanish imported scrap prices
- UK domestic ferrous scrap prices
- Russia, including St Petersburg, dockside price
Highlights of Asian coverage
Argus carries Asian scrap prices from a variety of mature scrap-generating markets, and provides insightful analysis of deep-sea trades and short-sea trades. Argus covers the full scope of steel mill purchasing activity for electric arc furnace-based production, including stainless and engineered steels, in recognition of the global nature of many steel feedstocks purchased by mills across the world:
- Taiwan imported ferrous scrap prices
- India imported ferrous scrap prices
- Pakistan imported ferrous scrap prices
- Bangladesh imported ferrous scrap prices
- China, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan imported aluminium scrap prices
- China, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan imported copper scrap prices
Argus carries a variety of global scrap prices in each of its three core products — Argus Scrap Markets, Argus Ferrous Markets and Argus Non-Ferrous Markets. To discover the combination of products that will provide the most complete coverage to serve your company’s needs, contact us for a consultation. Information about Argus subscription options can be found here.
Latest scrap news
Browse the latest market moving news on the scrap industry.
Tata Steel UK unions vote to strike
Tata Steel UK unions vote to strike
London, 9 May (Argus) — Workers at Tata Steel's Port Talbot plant in south Wales have voted to strike in response to the company's plan to stop iron-making and cut thousands of jobs. Over 3,000 members of Community Union have been balloted, with more than 85pc in favour of industrial action — this is despite the company threatening to withdraw its proposed support package in the event of strikes. "It should be noted this resounding mandate has been delivered in spite of the company's bullying and unacceptable threats to slash redundancy payments," Alun Davies, Community's national officer for steel, said. He urged Tata to "get back around the table" to prevent a major industrial dispute. Workers at Unite the union have already voted in favour of strike action, which is set for 30 May. Unions — and the Syndex consultancy that has represented them in talks with Tata — have called the company's agreement with the government a "bad deal". They have requested more financial support to help Tata with decarbonisation, and for a blast furnace to be maintained. The government is giving Tata £166/t towards its decarbonisation — less than many European competitors receive from their governments. The low level of state support played into Tata's decision to move to one large electric-arc furnace, which has been roundly criticised by unions. By Colin Richardson Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Japan’s scrap export tender extends gains for May
Japan’s scrap export tender extends gains for May
Shanghai, 9 May (Argus) — The monthly export tender of Japanese scrap dealer co-operative Kanto Tetsugen continued its upwards trend in May, propelled by a favourable currency exchange rate. The May tender was concluded at ¥52,590/t fas for 20,000t of H2 scrap on 9 May, an increase of ¥1,503/t from April. This brought the fob price to an equivalent of ¥53,590/t or $344.60/t. Two cargoes were settled on 9 May, one of 15,000t and another of 5,000t, both at the same price. Some market participants anticipated the first would go to Bangladesh, as in recent months, while some market discussions were suggesting both were destined for Vietnam. The Vietnamese domestic steel market has shown more signs of a recovery since mid-April. The renewed increase in the export tender was mainly driven by the depreciation of the yen. Despite the significant increase in the tender result, the equivalent price in US dollars only rose by around $1/t compared with the previous month. The yen weakened to ¥155.70 to the dollar from ¥151.80 on 10 April. The Argus H2 fob Japan assessment was ¥50,800/t on 8 May, while the April monthly average was ¥50,757/t fob Japan. Tokyo Steel following the Kanto tender raised the collection price at its Utsunomiya plant by ¥1,000/t and maintained prices at other plants. The increase in the tender result and domestic prices in the Kanto region will raise suppliers' target levels for export business. But overseas buyers may require more time to absorb the gain and await further rises in steel sales prices, a market participant said. Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Hybrid vehicles spur Toyota’s record 2023-24 profit
Hybrid vehicles spur Toyota’s record 2023-24 profit
Tokyo, 9 May (Argus) — Japan's largest car producer Toyota reported a record profit for the 2023-24 fiscal year ending 31 March, partially because of strong sales of hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs). Toyota nearly doubled its profit for 2023-24 to ¥5.3 trillion ($34bn), its highest ever for a fiscal year. It sold 11mn vehicles globally, including its luxury brand Lexus, up by 7.3pc from a year earlier. The sharp rise in profit partly resulted from higher demand for HEVs that Toyota sold 3.6mn units of globally, up by 32.1pc from the previous year. North America was the leading market for its HEV sales, said the company's chief financial officer Yoichi Miyazaki, but a further breakdown was undisclosed. Firm demand for HEVs, for which Toyota has both technological and commercial advantages given its long history of development and experience, has largely been prompted by a global slowdown in battery electric vehicle (BEV) sales. HEVs consume significantly less battery materials compared with BEVs, as their battery size is normally 10pc of a BEV. Toyota is accelerating HEV production during 2024-25, as it plans to increase sales by 24.5pc from a year earlier to 4.5mn units. This accounts for 43pc of the company's total sales projection and is up by around 8 percentage points from a year earlier. The global slowdown in BEV sales could mean customers are being sceptical about the overstated view that BEVs are the only solution for decarbonisation, said Toyota's chief executive Koji Sato, adding that the infrastructure necessary for driving BEVs, including charging stations, has not yet adequately developed. But he was unclear on whether Toyota will slow its EV strategy that it announced last year to sell 1.5mn/yr of EVs by 2026 with 10 new models. The company plans to sell 171,000 BEVs during 2024-25, accounting for 1.6pc of its total sales projections. This is up by 46.2pc from a year earlier but the projection is based on "conservative estimations", according to Sato. By Yusuke Maekawa Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Liberty Merchant Bar to be 'mothballed', sources say
Liberty Merchant Bar to be 'mothballed', sources say
London, 7 May (Argus) — Liberty Steel will announce the mothballing of Liberty Merchant Bar (LMB) in Scunthorpe, England, this week, multiple sources told Argus . LMB has effectively been mothballed for a couple of years, as it stopped producing in 2022 amid cash constraints and problems with energy supply. The mill was powered by gas captured in the coke-making process at British Steel , but that supply has now stopped. Sources suggest the mothballing announcement is really a sign that the plant will not reopen, given it has been off line for so long. Around 135 staff are employed at the site — it is not clear whether they will be redeployed elsewhere in the group. Liberty recently said it has signed a new framework agreement with its major creditors, following the refinancing of its Infrabuild business in Australia, which would enable it to "consolidate its UK steel businesses under a new entity with a simpler structure, a strong balance sheet and greater access to third-party finance and investment". Liberty has been promising to publish consolidated financial results since 2019, but is still yet to do so. Under this consolidation, existing UK companies will transfer their assets and employees to the new entity, the company said. The change has enabled "development of a comprehensive plan that aims to take Liberty's electric arc furnace (EAF) melting capacity" at Rotherham to 2mn t/yr, the company added. The two existing furnaces at the site — N and T — have a capacity of 1.2mn t/yr, but have been running well below this. Only T is running at present, following prepayment from aerospace customers, and it has produced less than 7,000t so far this year. Liberty's eventual plan is to produce feed for longs and engineering bar from furnace N, feed for aerospace customers from furnace T, and to install a new EAF to produce slab for the company's plate and coil mills in Scotland and Wales. The company declined comment. By Colin Richardson Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
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