🇬🇧 United Kingdom exports of iron and steel scrap: 2024 trade data
In 2024, the United Kingdom exported iron and steel scrap worth $3.36 billion (8.07 million tonnes). It ranks 3rd of 206 countries for exports of this product. Value rose 5% on 2023. Across 2017-2024 the long-run trend was broadly stable.
Public statistics, latest reported year 2024. Values in US dollars.
Exports of iron and steel scrap by year, 2017-2024
Hover or tap a year for detail.
Year by year
| Year | Value | Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $3.36B | 8.07M t |
| 2023 | $3.20B | 7.53M t |
| 2022 | $4.02B | 8.20M t |
| 2021 | $4.05B | 8.97M t |
| 2020 | $2.28B | 7.19M t |
| 2019 | $2.88B | 8.56M t |
| 2018 | $3.47B | 9.46M t |
| 2017 | $3.10B | 9.28M t |
Where the United Kingdom exports iron and steel scrap to
Most of it went to Turkey (26%), Egypt (19%), India (14%). Among the main buyer markets, Saudi Arabia grew fastest (+501% on the year before).
| Destination | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 🇹🇷 Turkey | $882.6M | 26% |
| 🇪🇬 Egypt | $653.5M | 20% |
| 🇮🇳 India | $456.7M | 14% |
| 🇵🇰 Pakistan | $327.1M | 9.7% |
| 🇲🇦 Morocco | $215.0M | 6.4% |
| 🇵🇹 Portugal | $151.8M | 4.5% |
| 🇪🇸 Spain | $144.8M | 4.3% |
| 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia | $87.2M | 2.6% |
| 🇧🇪 Belgium | $55.2M | 1.6% |
| 🇮🇹 Italy | $54.9M | 1.6% |
Types of iron and steel scrap under HS 7204
| 7204.49 | Ferrous waste and scrap: n.e.c. in heading no. 7204 | 83% |
| 7204.29 | Ferrous waste and scrap: of alloy steel (excluding stainless) | 6.3% |
| 7204.41 | Ferrous waste and scrap: turnings, shavings, chips, milling waste, sawdust, fillings, trimmings and stampings, whether or not in bundles | 4.2% |
| 7204.21 | Ferrous waste and scrap: of stainless steel | 3.5% |
| 7204.30 | Ferrous waste and scrap: of tinned iron or steel | 1.4% |
| 7204.10 | Ferrous waste and scrap: of cast iron | 1.3% |
| 7204.50 | Ferrous products: remelting scrap ingots | 0.1% |
Codes and full descriptions: HS heading 7204.
Average export price of iron and steel scrap
The average declared value was about $0.42 per kg, close to the world average of $0.44.
Declared value divided by weight, all 2024 shipments. Prices per shipment and per company are in EximDataX.
The United Kingdom also imports iron and steel scrap
In 2024, the United Kingdom imported iron and steel scrap worth $149.2 million (287.9 thousand tonnes). Most of the value came from Ireland (42%), Germany (7%), Mexico (7%). Among the main suppliers, Poland grew fastest, more than tenfold on the year before.
| Supplier country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 🇮🇪 Ireland | $62.1M | 42% |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | $10.9M | 7.3% |
| 🇲🇽 Mexico | $10.0M | 6.7% |
| 🇪🇸 Spain | $8.1M | 5.5% |
| 🇳🇱 Netherlands | $7.8M | 5.2% |
| 🇹🇷 Turkey | $7.6M | 5.1% |
| 🇧🇷 Brazil | $6.0M | 4.1% |
| 🇵🇱 Poland | $5.8M | 3.9% |
| 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates | $4.5M | 3% |
| 🇫🇷 France | $3.3M | 2.2% |
Who is behind these numbers in the United Kingdom?
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.
Direct customs feed: shipment-level records from the official customs source.
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 7204: Ferrous waste and scrap; remelting scrap ingots of iron or steel.
Iron and steel scrap trade in the United Kingdom: questions
What is the value of iron and steel scrap imported by the United Kingdom?
The United Kingdom imported iron and steel scrap worth $149.2 million in 2024 (287.9 thousand tonnes).
Where does the United Kingdom import iron and steel scrap from?
The main supplier countries in 2024 were Ireland (42%), Germany (7%), Mexico (7%).
What is the average import price of iron and steel scrap in the United Kingdom?
The average declared import value was about $0.52 per kg in 2024, against a world average of $0.44 per kg.
Does the United Kingdom export iron and steel scrap?
Yes. The United Kingdom exported iron and steel scrap worth $3.36 billion in 2024, mainly to Turkey, Egypt, India.
What is the HS code for iron and steel scrap?
Iron and steel scrap falls under HS heading 7204 (Ferrous waste and scrap; remelting scrap ingots of iron or steel). The six-digit codes under it split the product by type.
How can I find the companies trading iron and steel scrap with the United Kingdom?
These public statistics stop at country level. EximDataX has a direct customs feed for the United Kingdom with shipment-level records, updated weekly, where you can see the importers and exporters by name.
Iron and steel scrap trade in other countries
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