The United States recycled some 46.7 million metric tons of iron and steel from scrap in 2021 – more than any other metal recycled that year. Ranking second, but by a wide margin, was aluminum, with roughly 3.3 million metric tons recycled. The U.S. is one of the leading exporters of steel scrap worldwide, surpassed only by the European Union.
Selected metals recycled from scrap in the United States in 2021, by type
(in 1,000 metric tons)
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US Geological Survey. (April 27, 2023). Selected metals recycled from scrap in the United States in 2021, by type (in 1,000 metric tons) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved February 16, 2025, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/251343/selected-metals-recycled-from-scrap-in-the-us-by-metal/?__sso_cookie_checker=failed
US Geological Survey. "Selected metals recycled from scrap in the United States in 2021, by type (in 1,000 metric tons)." Chart. April 27, 2023. Statista. Accessed February 16, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/251343/selected-metals-recycled-from-scrap-in-the-us-by-metal/?__sso_cookie_checker=failed
US Geological Survey. (2023). Selected metals recycled from scrap in the United States in 2021, by type (in 1,000 metric tons). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: February 16, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/251343/selected-metals-recycled-from-scrap-in-the-us-by-metal/?__sso_cookie_checker=failed
US Geological Survey. "Selected Metals Recycled from Scrap in The United States in 2021, by Type (in 1,000 Metric Tons)." Statista, Statista Inc., 27 Apr 2023, https://www.statista.com/statistics/251343/selected-metals-recycled-from-scrap-in-the-us-by-metal/?__sso_cookie_checker=failed
US Geological Survey, Selected metals recycled from scrap in the United States in 2021, by type (in 1,000 metric tons) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/251343/selected-metals-recycled-from-scrap-in-the-us-by-metal/?__sso_cookie_checker=failed (last visited February 16, 2025)
Selected metals recycled from scrap in the United States in 2021, by type (in 1,000 metric tons) [Graph], US Geological Survey, April 27, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/251343/selected-metals-recycled-from-scrap-in-the-us-by-metal/?__sso_cookie_checker=failed