SHANGHAI, May 28 (SMM) – China's copper scrap imports in April declined 19.3% from March and 36.7% from a year ago to stand at 180,000 mt, showed data from China Customs. This marked the second consecutive month of decline.
April's imports registered at a low in nearly 20 years. It grew slightly from the import levels in February 2018 and 2016, which were affected by the Chinese New Year holiday.
According to SMM, copper scrap imports are unlikely to rebound in May as China imposed stricter inspections of all US-imported scrap from May 4.
Copper scrap imported from the US accounted for 15% of China's total imports of copper scrap and stood at 535,000 mt in 2017, SMM data showed.
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