U.S. scrap metal recycling by type 2019

The United States recycled 50.1 million metric tons of iron and steel from scrap in 2019. By weight, this was considerably more than any other metal recycled that year. The U.S. is one of the leading exporters of steel scrap worldwide, surpassed only by the European Union.

Quantity of selected metals recycled from scrap in the United States. in 2019 (in metric tons)

Characteristic	Quantity in metric tons
Iron and steel	50,100,000
Aluminum	3,470,000
Lead	1,180,000
Copper	865,000
Zinc	161,000

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Release date

June 2021

More information

Region

United States

Survey time period

2019

Supplementary notes

Metal recovered from new plus old scrap. New scrap - Scrap that results from the manufacturing process, including metal and alloy production. New scrap of aluminum, copper, lead, tin, and zinc does not include home scrap, which is scrap generated and recycled in the metal-producing plant.
Old scrap - Scrap that results from consumer products.

Aluminum: Quantity of aluminum is the calculated metallic recovery from purchased new and old aluminum-base scrap, estimated for full industry coverage. Series revised by removing imported scrap to avoid double counting.

Copper: Includes copper recovered from unalloyed and alloyed copper-base scrap, as refined copper or in alloy forms, as well as copper recovered from aluminum-, nickel-, and zinc-base scrap. Monetary value based on annual average refined copper prices.

Iron and Steel: Recycled scrap reported from consuming manufacturers. Apparent supply measured as shipments of iron and steel products plus castings corrected for imported semifinished products.

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