🇺🇸 United States exports of precious metal scrap: 2024 trade data
Exports of precious metal scrap by the United States reached $6.83 billion in 2024 (24.6 thousand tonnes). It ranks 1st of 170 countries for exports of this product. The value was almost unchanged from 2023. Over 2017-2024 the trade grew strongly, by about 12% a year on average. The peak in this period was 2021, at $11.99 billion.
Public statistics, latest reported year 2024. Values in US dollars.
Exports of precious metal scrap by year, 2017-2024
Hover or tap a year for detail.
Year by year
| Year | Value | Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $6.83B | 24.6K t |
| 2023 | $6.75B | 26.1K t |
| 2022 | $8.85B | 37.2K t |
| 2021 | $11.99B | 44.3K t |
| 2020 | $6.99B | 80.2K t |
| 2019 | $5.92B | 36.1K t |
| 2018 | $3.71B | 38.0K t |
| 2017 | $3.08B | 27.8K t |
Where the United States exports precious metal scrap to
Canada alone took 64% of it.
| Destination | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 🇨🇦 Canada | $4.38B | 64% |
| 🇮🇹 Italy | $734.6M | 11% |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | $445.6M | 6.5% |
| 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | $362.0M | 5.3% |
| 🇯🇵 Japan | $303.5M | 4.4% |
| 🇧🇪 Belgium | $208.3M | 3.1% |
| 🇲🇾 Malaysia | $171.7M | 2.5% |
| 🇸🇬 Singapore | $60.5M | 0.9% |
| 🇸🇪 Sweden | $33.6M | 0.5% |
| 🇨🇭 Switzerland | $29.2M | 0.4% |
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 | 60% |
| 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… | 27% |
| 7112.92 | Waste and scrap of precious metals: of platinum, including metal clad with platinum but excluding sweepings containing other precious metals | 13% |
| 7112.30 | Waste and scrap of precious metal or of metal clad with precious metal: ash containing precious metal or precious metal compounds | 0.4% |
Codes and full descriptions: HS heading 7112.
Average export price of precious metal scrap
The average declared value was about $278.05 per kg, 144% 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 States also imports precious metal scrap
In 2024, the United States imported precious metal scrap worth $1.99 billion (9.4 thousand tonnes). That makes it the 6th largest importer of this product worldwide, out of 122 countries. Most of the value came from Canada (17%), Mexico (16%), Germany (15%). Trade is spread widely: the top three suppliers together make up only 49%. Among the main suppliers, Netherlands grew fastest, more than tenfold on the year before.
| Supplier country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 🇨🇦 Canada | $343.9M | 17% |
| 🇲🇽 Mexico | $326.2M | 16% |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | $298.1M | 15% |
| 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | $234.0M | 12% |
| 🇸🇪 Sweden | $70.6M | 3.6% |
| 🇳🇱 Netherlands | $68.0M | 3.4% |
| 🇮🇹 Italy | $59.9M | 3% |
| 🇯🇵 Japan | $57.8M | 2.9% |
| 🇭🇳 Honduras | $50.7M | 2.6% |
| 🇵🇦 Panama | $47.4M | 2.4% |
Who is behind these numbers in the United States?
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 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 States: questions
What is the value of precious metal scrap imported by the United States?
The United States imported precious metal scrap worth $1.99 billion in 2024 (9.4 thousand tonnes).
Where does the United States import precious metal scrap from?
The main supplier countries in 2024 were Canada (17%), Mexico (16%), Germany (15%).
What is the average import price of precious metal scrap in the United States?
The average declared import value was about $211.51 per kg in 2024, against a world average of $113.77 per kg.
Does the United States export precious metal scrap?
Yes. The United States exported precious metal scrap worth $6.83 billion in 2024, mainly to Canada, Italy, Germany.
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 States?
These public statistics stop at country level. EximDataX has a direct customs feed for the United States with shipment-level records, updated weekly, where you can see the importers and exporters by name.
Precious metal scrap trade in other countries
More trade data for the United States
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