Scrap
Overview
Argus provides comprehensive and detailed coverage of the global ferrous and non-ferrous scrap markets, with over 1,000 prices assessed by a global network of highly skilled market experts.
Argus’ strength lies in our ability to create appropriate methodologies for the trading dynamics of a specific spot market and to provide mechanisms for valuing scrap alloys.
Participants in the scrap industry rely on our extensive price data to act as an independent contract settlement mechanism, and use our powerful tools, like the Argus Alloy Calculator, to estimate the intrinsic value of highly engineered alloys.
Ferrous coverage
Argus offers a comprehensive regional view of the most active spot markets for ferrous scrap in regions around the world. Each price is available for direct comparison in multiple markets, with currency and unit of measurement conversions available to standardise charts and facilitate detection of favourable trade conditions.
Distinguished by either fob dealer or delivered to consumer inco terms, all prices are aligned with common industry specifications for that region. Explore the full list of scrap prices and specifications, including the length of history available on the Argus Metals platform for the grades assessed.
- Bundles
- Busheling
- Foundry/specialty
- Heavy melt
- Machine shop turnings
- Plate and structural
- Shredded scrap
- Tool steel
- Stainless and super alloys
- Alloy Calculator, where the current value of any alloy can be calculated by an intrinsic value formula in the absence of sufficient liquidity to produce a proper assessment
Non-ferrous coverage
Argus provides the full range of non-ferrous coverage from scrap price assessments on UBC, zorba, taint, tweak, and twitch products, as well as exchange data (30-minute delay LME and Comex prices are standard with Argus products) and global base metal premiums. Explore the full list of scrap prices in each non-ferrous category and visit the exchange data page to understand the unique value that Argus brings through its analysis of global exchange prices.
- Aluminium prices
- Aluminium alloy prices
- Brass/bronze prices
- Copper prices
- Lead prices
- Nickel prices
- Stainless and alloys
- Zinc prices
- Alloy Calculator, including over 200 predefined common alloys
- Exchange data
Highlights of North American coverage
Argus’ coverage of the North American scrap market focuses on spot market trading patterns within the most active regional domestic trading locations, as well as on export transactions. The full value chain is represented in the suite of Argus scrap assessments, from collected at yard to delivered to consumer prices:
- 8 containerised scrap price locations
- 14 consumer buying scrap price locations, including US and Canada
- 8 export yard scrap buying price locations
- 4 dealer selling scrap price locations
- 139 regional US and Canada non-ferrous scrap yard collection prices
- Prime and obsolete grades of scrap price assessments
- Mill and foundry grades of scrap price assessments: Titanium, stainless and scrap alloy pricing
- Southern US busheling and shredded weighted average assessments
Highlights of European coverage
Argus Scrap Markets provides context and intelligence to European domestic scrap markets to help steel mills, scrap suppliers, buyers and industrial manufacturers gain a greater understanding of the markets in which they operate. Argus produces over 50 European scrap prices assessments, including:
- German domestic ferrous scrap prices
- Spanish domestic ferrous scrap prices
- Spanish imported scrap prices
- UK domestic ferrous scrap prices
- Russia, including St Petersburg, dockside price
Highlights of Asian coverage
Argus carries Asian scrap prices from a variety of mature scrap-generating markets, and provides insightful analysis of deep-sea trades and short-sea trades. Argus covers the full scope of steel mill purchasing activity for electric arc furnace-based production, including stainless and engineered steels, in recognition of the global nature of many steel feedstocks purchased by mills across the world:
- Taiwan imported ferrous scrap prices
- India imported ferrous scrap prices
- Pakistan imported ferrous scrap prices
- Bangladesh imported ferrous scrap prices
- China, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan imported aluminium scrap prices
- China, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan imported copper scrap prices
Argus carries a variety of global scrap prices in each of its three core products — Argus Scrap Markets, Argus Ferrous Markets and Argus Non-Ferrous Markets. To discover the combination of products that will provide the most complete coverage to serve your company’s needs, contact us for a consultation. Information about Argus subscription options can be found here.
Stay ahead of the scrap metal markets
To be informed of relevant content, sign up to Argus Scrap Metal Market Highlights. Each newsletter issue provides key prices, selected news, downloadable insight papers, podcasts, and on-demand videos across the global scrap markets. Our coverage spans both ferrous and non-ferrous scrap, enabling you to explore the most active spot markets for scrap around the world.
Sign up nowLatest scrap news
Browse the latest market moving news on the scrap industry.
India’s Oct-Dec EU HRC quota to exhaust quickly
India’s Oct-Dec EU HRC quota to exhaust quickly
Mumbai, 23 July (Argus) — India's October-December EU quota for hot-rolled coil (HRC) could be filled rapidly as major mills ramp up sales to the bloc following new import measures from 1 July, market participants said. At least 100,000t of Indian HRC is expected to be cleared through customs once the new quotas open in October. Market participants estimate EU importers have booked 125,000-200,000t of Indian HRC over the past few weeks, most of which is for shipment in July and August. More deals are under negotiation. India's tariff-free HRC allocation was cut by 34pc to 149,319 t/quarter from 1 July under the new import regime, of which 68pc has already been utilised, leaving about 47,000t available for use in the current quarter as of 17 July. The shared free-trade agreement (FTA) quota pool — available on a first come, first served basis — is expected to be largely utilised by Turkey in the current quarter but could become accessible to India in the next quarter. Indian mills have been targeting faster shipments in a bid to clear some volumes in the current quarter. But suppliers are now looking to fill up the October-December allocations and may even slightly overshoot the quota, an Indian steel mill source said. Recent bookings have been concluded at $630-650/t cfr EU. India could then access the FTA quota pool, although this remains uncertain as it would likely face competition from Turkey, which has also been shipping sizeable volumes to the EU and benefits from shorter lead times. For Indian mills, the EU presents a timely opportunity to export surplus volumes during the seasonally weak monsoon period, when domestic demand typically softens, market participants said. "Domestic prices in India are under pressure due to low demand," a trader said. "Vietnam is not attractive anymore [and] Middle East prices have also started sliding down. So the only option is to aggressively book orders into the EU." The Argus weekly Indian domestic HRC assessment for 2.5-4mm material stood at 57,350 rupees/t ($594/t) ex-Mumbai on 17 July, having come off a multi-year high of Rs59,000/t reached in early April. The surge in Indian shipments to the EU is "just a tactical rush and not a sustainable trend", a steel user said. Market participants said this export window may close soon as EU buyers become wary of October-December quotas being depleted and as trading activity slows ahead of holidays in Italy. By Amruta Khandekar Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
World Cup lifts Crown NorthAm can shipments in 2Q
World Cup lifts Crown NorthAm can shipments in 2Q
Houston, 22 July (Argus) — Packaging manufacturer Crown Holdings boosted North American shipments of aluminum beverage cans in the second quarter from a year earlier, largely attributing the uptick to stronger-than-expected demand stemming from World Cup festivities. Regional sales volumes in April-June increased by 5pc on the year, with Crown saying roughly two percentage points of the growth could be tied to the global soccer tournament, the Florida-based company said Tuesday. Crown does not report outright shipment totals. "Our comments previously with respect to the World Cup would have been something along the lines that it's a four-week tournament and how much more can people drink?" Crown chief executive Timothy Donahue told analysts. "Well, guess what? They drank a lot more" than analysts had anticipated. Higher sales volumes signify a potential supply influx of used beverage cans (UBC) and class scrap, which are key feedstocks for aluminum rolling mills. Greater availability may weigh further on UBC buying spreads, which are hovering near historic lows following sharp increases in the Midwest transaction price — against which UBCs are discounted — and subdued intake from consumers. The company lifted its full-year guidance for North American beverage can shipments, now expecting 3-4pc growth this year above 2025 levels, compared with gains of 2-3pc that it forecast in April. It cautioned that deliveries in the latter half of 2026 will slow compared with the second quarter, given the absence of demand tailwinds from World Cup and July 4th holiday celebrations. "We had a quarter we didn't expect for a lot of reasons," Donahue said. Still, Crown anticipates that demand in the region will hold firm, saying aluminum beverage cans continue to be the packaging substrate of choice for drink manufacturers. The company, though, is monitoring how persistent inflationary concerns and higher household costs may impact consumer spending. The boost in North American sales volumes supported Crown's global deliveries in April-June, which increased by 5pc on the year. The company registered "double-digit" shipments growth in Asia and 7pc gains in Europe, which helped to offset a 10pc decline in Latin America — most notably in Brazil. Quarterly deliveries in the Middle East increased from the prior year, as shipments from its facilities in Jordan and Saudi Arabia outweighed a 20pc drop in the UAE because of the US-Iran war. Crown's profit increased by 35pc to $245mn in the second quarter on the year, while revenues rose by more than 16pc to nearly $3.7bn over the same period. By Alex Nicoll Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
South Korea’s scrap imports drop in 1H
South Korea’s scrap imports drop in 1H
Shanghai, 22 July (Argus) — South Korea's ferrous scrap imports continued to fall in the first half of the year because of lower steel output and a persistent price gap between domestic and seaborne markets. The country imported 750,000t of ferrous scrap in January-June, down by 16.5pc from a year earlier, according to Global Trade Tracker. Japan remained the top supplier, accounting for 74.5pc of South Korea's imports over the period. Japanese suppliers favoured sales to South Korea because vessel-size rules were more flexible and contracts could be settled in yen, reducing exchange-rate risk. South Korean mills have maintained long-term contracts for Japanese scrap but have not been active in the spot market for the past two years. They returned to the seaborne market in late May to secure Japanese scrap after domestic prices had risen for several months, but buying interest faded as prices began to fall in July. Imports from the US recorded the steepest decline, with mills avoiding deep-sea bulk cargoes that typically exceed 30,000t per shipment. South Korea imported more than 6mn t annually before 2020, then 4-5mn t/yr during 2020-23. Imports dropped below 2mn t in 2025 for the first time in 30 years as demand weakened further. South Korea's self-sufficiency rate for ferrous scrap is around 95pc, allowing mills to meet most of their needs domestically and buy seaborne cargoes only for prime-grade material or when overseas prices are competitive. The country's steel industry continues to face headwinds from weak construction activity and competition from cheap imported steel products. Scrap demand is likely to remain subdued while steel output stays low. South Korea exported 261,000t of scrap in the first half of the year, mainly to India, Vietnam and Bangladesh. South Korea Ferrous Scrap Imports t Country 1H 2026 % ± vs 2H 2025 % ± on year Japan 558,930 -14.5 -8.6 Thailand 42,467 -7.6 -19.8 US 21,277 -35.4 -82.0 others 127,733 -15.3 9.3 total 750,407 -15.1 -16.5 Source: Global Trade Tracker Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
HRC at premium to plate in Italy on quotas, slab supply
HRC at premium to plate in Italy on quotas, slab supply
London, 21 July (Argus) — Hot-rolled coil (HRC) prices in Italy have risen to a premium to hot-rolled plate (HRP) for the first time in more than four years, after the products reacted differently to the introduction of a stricter EU quota regime on 1 July. The new quota system has proven more disruptive for HRC than for HRP, which has allowed coil producers to push for price hikes. Meanwhile, falling slab prices coupled with subdued demand for plate have weighed on plate prices. Argus' daily Italian HRC index was assessed at €708.50/t ex-works on Monday, trading at an €8.50/t premium to the fortnightly Italian plate assessment for S235 grades. The Italian HRC index was up by €39/t on the month on Monday, while the plate index on 17 July tumbled by €25/t from a month earlier. The reduction in free quota allocations under the EU's new import regime from 1 July was sharper for plate, at 46pc to 1.2mn t/yr, but the distribution of the quotas was more favourable than for HRC. Coil quota volumes fell by 33pc to 5.2mn t/yr, but the fragmented distribution of the volumes means that usable quotas are actually lower because of small allocations for certain suppliers, and additional trade measures. These concerns have already been flagged by Italian steel association Assofermet, which said the EU's new steel safeguard is projected to result in a 60-70pc drop in usable steel import quotas. Various HRC cargoes were rerouted from Europe to north Africa and other destinations last week as trading firms sought to avoid the new 50pc tariffs on out-of-quota volumes. HRC prices rose in reaction to the tightening of imports, but falling slab prices removed some of the cost pressure from plate re-rollers, giving them room to reduce their offers to try and secure orders. Some market participants linked falling slab prices directly to the new EU safeguard measures, stating that non-EU suppliers would turn to the production of semi-finished products because slab sales to the EU remain exempt from trade measures, except from Russia. Seasonal factors and previous restocking waves that saw plate-making slab offers rise above $600/t cfr Italy have also contributed to the pressure on slab prices over the summer. Demand for domestic product has reacted to quota allocations and expected supply crunches, with HRC bookings accelerating. In contrast, high stocks at plate buyers have kept them on the sidelines, in the expectation that prices could fall further. By Carlo Da Cas Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Spotlight content
Browse the latest thought leadership produced by our global team of experts.
The calm in the chaos: a US steel sector seasoned by disruption
Key takeaways from the recent Argus Steel Forum and discussion around the US Steel industry's ability to cope with recent market upheaval.
US scrap markets react to Middle East aluminum disruption
Ferrous Market Update: A Summer of Uncertainty
Get the latest insights on tariffs, US EAF ramp-ups, and Chinese exports, and key takeaways from the ReMA National Convention.
Explore our scrap products
Understand price movements across ferrous and non-ferrous scrap, including the regional drivers and limiters with focuses views of the US, Europe and Asia. Explore our related services below.
Key price assessments
Argus prices are recognised by the market as trusted and reliable indicators of the real market value. Explore some of our most widely used and relevant price assessments.