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South Africa bans scrap metal exports for 2 months

  • : Metals
  • 20/07/07

South Africa's government has banned all exports of ferrous and non-ferrous scrap metal for two months in order to safeguard domestic supply while it considers measures to support the domestic industry.

The two-month pause took effect on 3 July, according to a government statement that day.

Scrap metal shipments that already received export permits or that applied for permits prior to 3 July will be allowed to go forward. The ministry also will issue permits for scrap metal that it determines is not being used by South Africa's domestic processing industry.

The move was made in response to appeals from South African scrap consumers that there is a shortage of affordable scrap metal in the country, despite existing measures to give priority to domestic buyers.

Current guidelines established in 2013 created a system under which scrap metal cannot be exported from South Africa unless it has first been offered to domestic buyers at a discount to international benchmark prices.

But South African industry has increasingly lobbied that this price preference system is not functioning adequately to keep scrap inside the country at prices affordable for local buyers.

Consequently, the South African National Treasury announced in March that it is considering levying export taxes on scrap metal.

Work on the export tax has been interrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic and the South African trade ministry has stepped in with the two-month export ban to address the near-term shortage of affordable scrap.

South Africa's annual exports of ferrous and stainless steel scrap amounted to almost 525,000t in 2019, according to Global Trade Tracker data. Nonferrous annual scrap exports registered at nearly 71,000t of aluminum scrap and 8,000t of copper, brass, and bronze scrap.

The export ban is another significant disruption of supply to India, the largest consumer of South African scrap metal. South Africa was the fifth-largest exporter of ferrous scrap to India in 2019, accounting for 416,000t or 5.9pc of Indian imports.

"This has impacted us a lot," one scrap exporter from South Africa to India said. "South Africa has top quality shred, it is clean and has high density. It is more lucrative to sell for export rather than selling it domestic. The domestic mills are finding it hard to get scrap."

The United Arab Emirates, India's largest scrap supplier in 2019 with 1.2mn t, imposed its own [four-month export ban from 15 May]( https://direct.argusmedia.com/newsandanalysis/article/2105320). That means that for the next two months, India has no access to more than 20pc of its 2019 supply.

However, the lower availability has not yet had any major impact on Indian scrap prices because Indian demand has been reduced as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.


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25/03/12

Canada levies new C$30bn counter-tariffs on US: Update

Canada levies new C$30bn counter-tariffs on US: Update

Adds aluminum, steel trade data. Calgary, 12 March (Argus) — Canada is levying new counter-tariffs worth nearly C$30bn ($20.9bn) on the US in response to Washington's 25pc tariff on steel and aluminum imports. As of 12:01am on 13 March, 25pc reciprocal tariffs on an additional C$29.8bn of imports from the US will be put into place, Canada's finance minister Dominic LeBlanc said Wednesday. This includes C$12.6bn on steel products, C$3bn on aluminum products, and C$14.2bn on additional imported US goods. The list of additional goods includes computers, sports equipment, cast iron products, among others. US president Donald Trump imposed a 25pc tariff on steel and aluminum imports on Canada, Mexico and all foreign countries, effective Wednesday. LeBlanc said the government learned the US' tariffs would also be imposed on steel and aluminum content in "certain derivative products", which Canada is assessing and may impose further counter tariffs. Resource-rich Canada supplies the US with about 70pc of its aluminum imports and about 23pc of its steel imports. The US imported 3.9mn metric tonnes (t) of unwrought alloyed and primary aluminum in 2024, with 2.7mn t of that coming from Canada, according to Global Trade Tracker. For comparison, the US produced 670,000t domestically in 2024, data from the US Geological Survey shows. The US imported about 25mn t of steel — including flat, long, pipe and tube — in 2024, with Canada supplying the most of any country at 6mn t, according to the US Department of Commerce. Brazil was the US' next largest foreign source at 4.1mn t while the EU and Mexico came in at 3.5mn t and 3.1mn t, respectively. Canada's minister of innovation, science and industry, François-Philippe Champagne, LeBlanc, and Ontario premier Doug Ford will meet with US secretary of commerce Howard Lutnick in Washington on 13 March to discuss an update to the US-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) free trade agreement. "The conversation tomorrow will be around lowering the temperature and focusing on the process that President Trump setup," said LeBlanc. Canada's position is that Trump should respect the USMCA agreement that he signed, LeBlanc said. The European Union is meanwhile preparing to retaliate against Trump's tariffs. The region will impose countermeasures of €26bn ($28bn), introduced in two stages starting on 1 April and then be fully in place on 13 April, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said on X today. "I've been telling my European colleagues that Canada is the canary in the coalmine," Canadian foreign affairs minister Melanie Joly said on Wednesday. "If the US can do this to us, their closest friend and ally, then nobody is safe." By Brett Holmes Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Canada levies new C$30bn counter-tariffs on US


25/03/12
25/03/12

Canada levies new C$30bn counter-tariffs on US

Calgary, 12 March (Argus) — Canada is levying new counter-tariffs worth nearly C$30bn ($20.9bn) on the US in response to Washington's 25pc tariff on steel and aluminum imports. As of 12:01am on 13 March, 25pc reciprocal tariffs on an additional C$29.8bn of imports from the US will be put into place, Canada's finance minister Dominic LeBlanc said Wednesday. This includes C$12.6bn on steel products, C$3bn on aluminum products, and C$14.2bn on additional imported US goods. The list of additional goods includes computers, sports equipment, cast iron products, among others. US president Donald Trump imposed a 25pc tariff on steel and aluminum imports on Canada, Mexico and all foreign countries, effective Wednesday. LeBlanc said the government learned the US' tariffs would also be imposed on steel and aluminum content in "certain derivative products", which Canada is assessing and may impose further counter tariffs. Canada's minister of innovation, science and industry, François-Philippe Champagne, LeBlanc, and Ontario premier Doug Ford will meet with US secretary of commerce Howard Lutnick in Washington on 13 March to discuss an update to the US-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) free trade agreement. "The conversation tomorrow will be around lowering the temperature and focusing on the process that President Trump setup," said LeBlanc. Canada's position is that Trump should respect the USMCA agreement that he signed, LeBlanc said. The European Union is meanwhile preparing to retaliate against Trump's tariffs. The region will impose countermeasures of €26bn ($28bn), introduced in two stages starting on 1 April and then be fully in place on 13 April, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said on X today. "I've been telling my European colleagues that Canada is the canary in the coalmine," Canadian foreign affairs minister Melanie Joly said on Wednesday. "If the US can do this to us, their closest friend and ally, then nobody is safe." By Brett Holmes Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

US headline inflation eases in February


25/03/12
25/03/12

US headline inflation eases in February

Houston, 12 March (Argus) — US inflation fell in February for the first time in four months, an unexpected improvement amid mounting uncertainty over the new US administration's tariff, immigration and spending policies. The consumer price index (CPI) slowed to an annual rate of 2.8pc in February, down from 3pc in January, the Labor Department reported Wednesday. Analysts surveyed by Trading Economics had forecast a 2.9pc rate. Core inflation, which strips out volatile food and energy, rose at a 3.1pc annual rate, down from 3.3pc the prior month and the lowest since April 2021. The deceleration in inflation comes as the Federal Reserve has signaled it is in no hurry to change its policy stance as it weighs the impacts of President Donald Trump's tariffs and other policies, which most economists warn will spur inflation. The Fed is widely expected to hold rates unchanged at its policy meeting next week after pausing in January following three rate cuts in the final months of 2024. The energy index fell by an annual 0.2pc in February from 1pc growth in January. Gasoline fell by 3.1pc. Piped gas rose by 6pc. Food rose by an annual 2.6pc, accelerating from 2.5pc. Eggs surged by an annual 59pc, as avian flu has slashed supply. Shelter rose by 4.2pc, accounting for nearly half of the overall monthly gain in CPI, slowing from 4.4pc in January. Services less energy services rose by 4.1pc, slowing from 4.3pc in January. New vehicles fell by 0.3pc for a second month. Transportation services rose by an annual 6pc, slowing from 8pc in January. Car insurance was up by an annual 11.1pc and airline fares fell by 0.7pc. CPI slowed to a monthly 0.2pc gain in February from 0.5pc in January, which was the most since August 202 3. By Bob Willis Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Mexico’s economy minister in DC for metals tariff talks


25/03/11
25/03/11

Mexico’s economy minister in DC for metals tariff talks

Mexico City, 11 March (Argus) — Mexico's economy minister Marcelo Ebrard traveled to Washington DC this week to negotiate a resolution to threatened 25pc US tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from his country. Ebrard was joined by deputy minister of foreign trade Luis Rosendo Gutierrez "to meet with US officials and discuss steel and aluminum," the economy ministry said. The visit comes amid uncertainty over how the tariffs will impact Mexico's auto and manufacturing sectors, given the deep integration of supply chains across North America. The president of Mexican automaker association AMIA confirmed the group's support for Ebrard. "This is the first order of business — we are all working to ensure there are no steel tariffs on 12 March, but we'll have to see what happens." US President Donald Trump enacted a blanket tariff of 25pc on all imported goods from Canada and Mexico on 4 March. The next day, the Trump administration announced it would exclude from the tariff all goods in compliance with the US, Mexico and Canada free trade agreement (USMCA) for a period ending 2 April. Meanwhile, all goods not in compliance will continue to fall under the blanket 25pc tariff. Furthermore, the Trump administration has said it will impose a global 25pc tariff on all steel and aluminum imports to the US, effective Wednesday, but market sources say there is confusion over how the global metals tariff will interact with the 4 March tariffs. Garza highlighted concerns over how the tariffs could disrupt cross-border trade, noting that auto parts often cross the US-Mexico border multiple times before final assembly. "We're analyzing the potential impact on auto parts that move between Mexico and the US several times, from both the steel export industry's perspective and the final manufacturing side," he said. Ebrard is also presenting Mexico's stance on trade rules under USMCA, Garza added. "Our interpretation is that companies in the transition-to-compliance process are within the rules," Garza said, referring to a mechanism that allows firms to gradually meet the agreement's rules of origin for duty-free trade. Recent US International Trade Commission data shows that 8.2pc of Mexican vehicle exports and 20.4pc of Mexican auto parts exports currently do not comply with USMCA rules of origin. Mexico exported $106bn in auto parts in 2024, 87pc of which went to the US, according to auto part association INA. Auto industry groups in Mexico are working with their US and Canadian counterparts, compiling data to support Ebrard's negotiations, including potential scenarios for the impact of tariffs on auto prices and production across the trade bloc, Garza said. By James Young Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Mexican auto exports down 9pc in Feb


25/03/11
25/03/11

Mexican auto exports down 9pc in Feb

Mexico City, 11 March (Argus) — Mexico's light vehicle exports decreased by 9pc in February, as automakers pointed to weakening demand in the US, their key market. Automakers in Mexico shipped 258,952 units in February, with 84pc bound for the US, according to statistics agency Inegi. Exports were down annually for a second consecutive month, following a 14pc drop in January. Production declined slightly to 317,178 units, a 0.8pc decrease from a year earlier, while domestic sales rose by 3pc to 117,678 vehicles, the same data show. Mexican automaker association AMIA president Rogelio Garza attributed the export slowdown to rising US inflation, which accelerated to 3pc in January from 2.4pc in September. "This increase in inflation automatically affects the domestic market and has lowered demand in the US," Garza said. "If over 80pc of what we send is for US consumption, then when consumption drops, Mexican exports and production fall in tandem." Uncertainty over potential 25pc US tariffs on Mexican goods also contributed to the weaker exports, Garza said. Some companies have paused shipments while awaiting determinations on whether their products qualify for zero tariffs under the US-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) free trade agreement. Separately, Inegi reported 10,248 electric (EV) and hybrid vehicles sold domestically in February, a 29pc annual increase but down by 6pc from January. This marks two straight months of declining sales after a record 15,360 units were sold in December. EVs and hybrids accounted for 9pc of total domestic auto sales in February, up from a 6.5pc share a year earlier but flat from January's 9pc share. Meanwhile, EV and hybrid production surged by 90pc to 16,175 units in February from a year earlier, but fell by 7pc from January. Total output in 2024 reached 169,929 units, a 60pc jump from 2023. By James Young Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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