RMU: North and South see similar August scrap market developing

There will not be any significant resistance because, with the price of the non-ferrous metals down lately, dealers may hold these grades and sell all their ferrous shredded scrap for cash flow reasons, he noted.

He also said the scrap industry in the US is “overly efficient” at collecting, processing, and shipping ferrous scrap. This is sometimes “to their detriment,” he said. He thought industrial grades could rise from July levels.

Another scrap executive in the Southeast region said his obsolescent flows are just off fractionally from previous months. He attributes this minor decline to “the dog days of summer.”

There seems to be more demand for prime grades as several large consumers have requested more shipments on the TBD orders as the ferrous market forms, he said.

Regarding export, he said containers of shredded received a $10 per metric ton (mt) bump in prices this month into the mid-$380s/mt on an FAS CY basis.

All in all, there looks to be a narrow opening for a rise in obsolete scrap prices. Prompt scrap looks like it will be higher in August.

Editor’s note: This column appeared first in Recycled Metals Update (RMU), SMU’s new sister publication. RMU is devoted entirely to the ferrous and nonferrous recycled metals markets. If you’d like to learn more, visit RMU’s homepage and register for a free, 30-day trial.