Prices for spent lead-acid batteries and lead scrap have tumbled in the United States, with the sustained softness on the London Metal Exchange prompting smelters to recalculate raw material costs downward.
Whole lead-acid batteries dropped by an average of $3 per hundredweight to $41-42 per cwt delivered to smelters - the lowest level witnessed in more than 14 months, according to American Metal Market's assessment on Tuesday July 31. Prices for scrap lead dropped by $5 per hundredweight to $82-84 per cwt delivered to smelters, while remelt lead and cable lead both fell by $4 to $86-88 per cwt delivered to smelters. "We've dropped our prices a few times in the last two weeks. We dropped after the [LME] dropped so much and did not self correct. If I can I always give suppliers some leeway room but it was a significant drop," one lead scrap...