🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates imports of precious metal scrap: 2024 trade data
In 2024, the United Arab Emirates imported precious metal scrap worth $724.4 million (462 tonnes). Its share of world imports was 2%. That is 34% less than in 2023. Across 2017-2024 the long-run trend was broadly stable. The peak in this period was 2019, at $1.45 billion.
Public statistics, latest reported year 2024. Values in US dollars.
Imports of precious metal scrap by year, 2017-2024
Hover or tap a year for detail.
Year by year
| Year | Value | Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $724.4M | 462 t |
| 2023 | $1.10B | 2.3K t |
| 2022 | $987.0M | 1.2K t |
| 2021 | $1.02B | 1.6K t |
| 2020 | $779.3M | 1.5K t |
| 2019 | $1.45B | 1.1K t |
| 2018 | $1.15B | 644 t |
| 2017 | $689.0M | 660 t |
Where the United Arab Emirates imports precious metal scrap from
Hong Kong alone supplied 75% of it. Among the main suppliers, Tanzania grew fastest (+315% on the year before).
| Supplier country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 🇭🇰 Hong Kong | $541.0M | 75% |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | $62.2M | 8.6% |
| 🇹🇿 Tanzania | $43.5M | 6% |
| 🇮🇳 India | $31.6M | 4.4% |
| 🇿🇦 South Africa | $21.9M | 3% |
| 🇲🇾 Malaysia | $11.0M | 1.5% |
| 🇮🇹 Italy | $3.5M | 0.5% |
| 🇰🇷 South Korea | $3.1M | 0.4% |
| 🇺🇸 United States | $2.1M | 0.3% |
| 🇯🇵 Japan | $1.4M | 0.2% |
Types of precious metal scrap under HS 7112
| 7112.91 | Waste and scrap of precious metals: of gold, including metal clad with gold but excluding sweepings containing other precious metals | 92% |
| 7112.99 | Waste and scrap of precious metals: waste and scrap of precious metals including metal clad with precious metals, other than that of gold and… | 7.6% |
| 7112.92 | Waste and scrap of precious metals: of platinum, including metal clad with platinum but excluding sweepings containing other precious metals | 0.9% |
| 7112.30 | Waste and scrap of precious metal or of metal clad with precious metal: ash containing precious metal or precious metal compounds | 0.1% |
Codes and full descriptions: HS heading 7112.
Average import price of precious metal scrap
The average declared value was about $1,567.02 per kg, 1277% above the world average of $113.77. This usually points to higher-grade or processed goods.
Declared value divided by weight, all 2024 shipments. Prices per shipment and per company are in EximDataX.
The United Arab Emirates also exports precious metal scrap
Exports of precious metal scrap by the United Arab Emirates reached $193.1 million in 2024 (2.1 thousand tonnes). Its share of world exports was 1%. Most of it went to Japan (33%), South Korea (32%), United Kingdom (19%). Among the main buyer markets, United Kingdom grew fastest (+216% on the year before).
| Destination | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 🇯🇵 Japan | $63.0M | 33% |
| 🇰🇷 South Korea | $61.5M | 32% |
| 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | $36.1M | 19% |
| 🇮🇹 Italy | $18.6M | 9.6% |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | $7.0M | 3.7% |
| 🇵🇱 Poland | $2.4M | 1.2% |
| 🇺🇸 United States | $1.6M | 0.8% |
| 🇲🇾 Malaysia | $1.4M | 0.7% |
| 🇵🇰 Pakistan | $783K | 0.4% |
| 🇱🇹 Lithuania | $597K | 0.3% |
Who is behind these numbers in the United Arab Emirates?
Public statistics stop at country totals and the last published year. EximDataX shows the shipment records underneath: the companies, dates, quantities and declared values, updated weekly.
Shipment records are in the platform
Tell us what you trade and we will show you the latest records on a live call.
Mirror data: built from the shipment records of the countries that trade with it.
Updated weekly on EximDataX (some markets daily), while public statistics stop at 2024.
Source: CEPII BACI (reconciled UN Comtrade data), HS 2017 edition, release 202601, Etalab Open Licence 2.0. Annual values in US dollars at the customs border; quantities in tonnes where reported. HS 7112: Waste and scrap of precious metal or of metal clad with precious metal; other waste and scrap containing precious metal compounds, of a kind uses principally for the recovery of precious metal other than goods of heading 85.49.
Precious metal scrap trade in the United Arab Emirates: questions
What is the value of precious metal scrap imported by the United Arab Emirates?
The United Arab Emirates imported precious metal scrap worth $724.4 million in 2024 (462 tonnes).
Where does the United Arab Emirates import precious metal scrap from?
The main supplier countries in 2024 were Hong Kong (75%), Germany (9%), Tanzania (6%).
What is the average import price of precious metal scrap in the United Arab Emirates?
The average declared import value was about $1,567.02 per kg in 2024, against a world average of $113.77 per kg.
Does the United Arab Emirates export precious metal scrap?
Yes. The United Arab Emirates exported precious metal scrap worth $193.1 million in 2024, mainly to Japan, South Korea, United Kingdom.
What is the HS code for precious metal scrap?
Precious metal scrap falls under HS heading 7112 (Waste and scrap of precious metal or of metal clad with precious metal; other waste and scrap containing precious metal). The six-digit codes under it split the product by type.
How can I find the companies trading precious metal scrap with the United Arab Emirates?
These public statistics stop at country level. EximDataX builds the United Arab Emirates trade from the records of its trading partners, updated weekly, so you can see who ships this product there.
Precious metal scrap trade in other countries
More trade data for the United Arab Emirates
See what your buyers are buying.Then decide.
Everything we show you comes from official customs filings — records, not claims. 30 minutes. Your shipment. Your HS code. Real platform. If you don’t see something new about your market by the end of the call, we walk away. No follow-ups.