Buyers of copper and aluminium scrap in the European Union
Recycling
Smelters, secondary refineries, remelters, rod mills and plants with their own melting, as well as scrap processors and traders from the Companies register – by metal, scrap grade, distance from the shipping point and country. For each plant: the company, the type of buyer, the grades accepted according to documents, sources with their class and a general description of the shipment procedure.
A picture of the market – not a commercial recommendation. No prices, ratings or rankings; ordered by straight-line distance or alphabetically. Contact through the company website; the register holds no personal data.
- 850
- buyer plants
- 615
- companies
- 30
- countries
- 396
- Cu – buyer plants
- 730
- Al – buyer plants
Data as of: · version 2.31 · verified at source up to · Dataset changes · Markdown · JSON · grade dictionary version 1.0 · Scrap code translator
Find a buyer
Choosing a metal shows all buyers of that metal in the register; a scrap grade narrows the list to plants whose documents name that grade. Shipping point – a click on the map, a NUTS 3 region or your browser location (it stays in the browser – it is not sent to the server).
Buyers
56 buyers
No shipping point – alphabetical order; distance and procedure appear once a shipping point is chosen.
Straight-line distance (great circle) from the shipping point – not road distance.
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Friedland – steel and non-ferrous scrap yard, Friedland · Germany
Accepted grades: grades not established in the register documents
B ALBA website – locations · verified 2026-10-08
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Hoppegarten – steel and non-ferrous scrapyard, Hoppegarten · Germany
Accepted grades: grades not established in the register documents
B ALBA website – locations · verified 2026-10-08
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Rostock – steel and non-ferrous scrap yard, Rostock · Germany
Accepted grades: grades not established in the register documents
B ALBA website – locations · verified 2026-10-08
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Wilhelmshaven – steel and non-ferrous scrap yard, Wilhelmshaven · Germany
Accepted grades: grades not established in the register documents
B ALBA website – locations · verified 2026-10-08
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Hamburg – copper smelter with the Complex Recycling Hamburg installation, Hamburg · Germany
Accepted grades: grades not established in the register documents
B Komunikat prasowy Aurubis z 2026 r. – otwarcie instalacji CRH · verified 2026-10-08
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Hamburg – smelter, refinery, rolling mill, Hamburg · Germany
Accepted grades: grades not established in the register documents
A Aurubis AG, Annual Report 2024/25 – Combined Management Report (druk. s. 62–63 surowce i segmenty; s. 65–66 Pi... · verified 2026-10-08
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Lünen – recycling (KRS) and refinery, Lünen · Germany
Accepted grades: grades not established in the register documents
A Aurubis AG, Annual Report 2024/25 – Combined Management Report (druk. s. 62–63 surowce i segmenty; s. 65–66 Pi... · verified 2026-10-08
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Aurubis Stolberg GmbH & Co. KG
Stolberg – strip rolling mill, Stolberg · Germany
Accepted grades: grades not established in the register documents
A Aurubis AG, Annual Report 2024/25 – Combined Management Report (druk. s. 62–63 surowce i segmenty; s. 65–66 Pi... · verified 2026-10-08
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Fehrbellin (cable recycling), Fehrbellin · Germany
Accepted grades: insulated copper wire and cable scrap
B CABLO GmbH, Unternehmenspräsentation 2024 (PDF, 15 s., I 2024) · verified 2026-10-06
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Gelsenkirchen (cable recycling), Gelsenkirchen · Germany
Accepted grades: insulated copper wire and cable scrap
B CABLO GmbH, Unternehmenspräsentation 2024 (PDF, 15 s., I 2024) · verified 2026-10-06
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Osnabrück – special products (mould tubes, plates, tubes), Osnabrück · Germany
Accepted grades: grades not established in the register documents
B Paragon Partners, karta inwestycji cunova (d. KME Special Products & Solutions, Osnabrück; od 31.01.2022) · verified 2026-10-08
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Emmerich – rod mill (Southwire SCR), Emmerich am Rhein · Germany
Accepted grades: grades not established in the register documents
B Aurubis AG, announcement “Aurubis acquires Codelco’s shares in Deutsche Giessdraht” (22.01.2018) – approx. 240... · verified 2026-10-08
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Diehl Brass Solutions Stiftung & Co. KG (Diehl Metall)
Röthenbach a. d. Pegnitz – brass foundry and extrusion plant, Röthenbach an der Pegnitz · Germany
Accepted grades: grades not established in the register documents
B Diehl Metall, “Diehl Brass Solutions” data sheet – capacity 150,000 t/yr, approx. 90% recycled feed, 563 emplo... · verified 2026-10-08
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Hettstedt – wire rod mill (Contirod) and wire drawing plant, Hettstedt · Germany
Accepted grades: grades not established in the register documents
B Elcowire Group AB, Sustainability & Financial Report 2024 (p. 8 map of plants and capacities; unit data sheets... · verified 2026-10-08
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Elektrisola Dr. Gerd Schildbach GmbH & Co. KG
Reichshof-Eckenhagen – winding wire and litz wire, Reichshof-Eckenhagen · Germany
Accepted grades: grades not established in the register documents
B Company website – group history (elektrisola.com) · verified 2026-10-17
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Essex Furukawa Magnet Wire Germany GmbH
Bad Arolsen – winding wire, Bad Arolsen · Germany
Accepted grades: grades not established in the register documents
B Company website – location: Bad Arolsen winding wire plant (essexsolutions.com) · verified 2026-10-17
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Olpe – strip rolling mill and foundry, Olpe · Germany
Accepted grades: grades not established in the register documents
B Gebr. Kemper GmbH + Co. KG, Nachhaltigkeitsbericht 2024 (“Material flows” chart: metals 14,992 t, of which Vor... · verified 2026-10-08
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Berlin – brass bar mill, Berlin · Germany
Accepted grades: grades not established in the register documents
B HME Metal Europe, „Company” – HME Copper Germany (Menden), HME Ibertubos (Barcelona), HME Brass Germany (Berli... · verified 2026-10-08
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Menden – rurownia (SANCO), Menden · Germany
Accepted grades: grades not established in the register documents
B HME Metal Europe, „Company” – HME Copper Germany (Menden), HME Ibertubos (Barcelona), HME Brass Germany (Berli... · verified 2026-10-08
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IMR Innovative Metal Recycling GmbH
Haiger – branch for processing stainless steel and non-ferrous scrap, Haiger · Germany
Accepted grades: grades not established in the register documents
B Company website – locations · verified 2026-10-08
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IMR Innovative Metal Recycling GmbH
Krefeld – processing of stainless steel, non-ferrous and steel scrap (shredder), Krefeld · Germany
Accepted grades: grades not established in the register documents
B Company website – locations · verified 2026-10-08
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Itzehoe – scrap and non-ferrous metals yard, Itzehoe · Germany
Accepted grades: grades not established in the register documents
B Company website – ISR services · verified 2026-10-08
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Hettstedt, Hettstedt · Germany
Accepted grades: grades not established in the register documents
B KME Mansfeld, Sustainability Report 2024 · verified 2026-10-06
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Osnabrück – strip rolling mill and foundry, Osnabrück · Germany
Accepted grades: grades not established in the register documents
B KME Group S.p.A., Annual Financial Report 2023 (production by plant 2023) · verified 2026-10-08
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KME Mansfeld GmbH (d. MKM Mansfelder Kupfer und Messing)
Hettstedt – rolling mill, tube mill, rails, Hettstedt · Germany
Accepted grades: grades not established in the register documents
B KME Group S.p.A., Annual Financial Report 2023 (production by plant 2023) · verified 2026-10-08
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Bramsche – Rod & Foundry, winding wire, Bramsche · Germany
Accepted grades: grades not established in the register documents
B Essex Solutions (Superior Essex), „Locations” – Bramsche i Neunburg vorm Wald (Rod & Foundry) · verified 2026-10-08
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Neunburg vorm Wald – Rod & Foundry, Neunburg vorm Wald · Germany
Accepted grades: grades not established in the register documents
B Essex Solutions (Superior Essex), „Locations” – Bramsche i Neunburg vorm Wald (Rod & Foundry) · verified 2026-10-08
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Donauwörth – non-ferrous scrap yard, cables and e-scrap, Donauwörth · Germany
Accepted grades: insulated copper wire and cable scrap, aluminium wire and cable scrap
B Loacker website – Donauwörth location · verified 2026-10-08
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Lindau – non-ferrous scrap yard, Lindau (Bodensee) · Germany
Accepted grades: grades not established in the register documents
B Loacker website – Lindau location · verified 2026-10-08
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Wonfurt – processing of cables and metals, Wonfurt · Germany
Accepted grades: insulated copper wire and cable scrap, aluminium wire and cable scrap
B Loacker website – Wonfurt location · verified 2026-10-08
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Loacker Rheinhafen Recycling GmbH
Karlsruhe – non-ferrous scrap yard, Karlsruhe · Germany
Accepted grades: grades not established in the register documents
B Loacker website – Karlsruhe location · verified 2026-10-08
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Homburg – non-ferrous and e-scrap yard, Homburg · Germany
Accepted grades: grades not established in the register documents
B Loacker website – Homburg location · verified 2026-10-08
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Messingwerk Plettenberg Herfeld GmbH & Co. KG
Plettenberg – brass strip rolling mill, Plettenberg · Germany
Accepted grades: grades not established in the register documents
B European Commission, M.8900 (public version) – Messingwerk Plettenberg as a customer of Schwermetall pre-rolle... · verified 2026-10-08
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Flensburg – scrap yard and metal processing, Flensburg · Germany
Accepted grades: grades not established in the register documents
B Company website – metals · verified 2026-10-08
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foundry (Gießerei) Meinerzhagen, Meinerzhagen · Germany
Accepted grades: grades not established in the register documents
B Company website (otto-fuchs.com) · verified 2026-10-08
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Herne – processing of stainless steel and non-ferrous scrap, Herne · Germany
Accepted grades: grades not established in the register documents
B Company website – stainless steel scrap · verified 2026-10-08
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REMONDIS Electrorecycling GmbH
Lünen – dismantling centre for waste electrical and electronic equipment, Lünen · Germany
Accepted grades: grades not established in the register documents
A Pozwolenie Bezirksregierung Arnsberg z 20.04.2021 – istotna zmiana instalacji · verified 2026-10-08
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RVR Rohstoffverwertung Regensburg GmbH
Regensburg – non-ferrous scrap yard and cable processing, Regensburg · Germany
Accepted grades: insulated copper wire and cable scrap, aluminium wire and cable scrap
B Loacker website – Regensburg location · verified 2026-10-08
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Schlenk Metallfolien GmbH & Co. KG
Roth, Roth · Germany
Accepted grades: grades not established in the register documents
B schlenk.com · verified 2026-10-06
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Schrott- und Metallhandel M. Kaatsch GmbH
Plochingen – scrap and non-ferrous metals yard, Plochingen · Germany
Accepted grades: grades not established in the register documents
B Company website – locations and scope of acceptance · verified 2026-10-08
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Schwering & Hasse Elektrodraht GmbH
Lügde – enamelled winding wire, Lügde · Germany
Accepted grades: grades not established in the register documents
B Group website – SHWire (synflex-group.de) · verified 2026-10-17
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Schwermetall Halbzeugwerk GmbH & Co. KG
Stolberg – pre-rolled strip, Stolberg · Germany
Accepted grades: grades not established in the register documents
B Schwermetall Halbzeugwerk GmbH & Co. KG, “Portrait” (capacity approx. 190,000 t/yr; 50% Aurubis, 50% Wieland) · verified 2026-10-08
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Siegfried Jacob Metallwerke GmbH & Co. KG
Ennepetal – processing of scrap, swarf, residues and sludges of non-ferrous metals, Ennepetal · Germany
Accepted grades: grades not established in the register documents
B Company website – home page · verified 2026-10-08
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Kleve – scrap sorting and cable processing, Kleve · Germany
Accepted grades: insulated copper wire and cable scrap
B Company website – services · verified 2026-10-08
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Espenhain – processing of shredder residues with metal recovery, Espenhain · Germany
Accepted grades: grades not established in the register documents
C Recycling International – Scholz investment in an ASR plant in Espenhain · verified 2026-10-08
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Hemer-Sundwig – bronze and brass rolling mill, Hemer · Germany
Accepted grades: grades not established in the register documents
B KME Group S.p.A., press release of 6.01.2025 – closing of the acquisition of Sundwiger Messingwerk · verified 2026-10-08
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Theo Steil GmbH Schrott- und Metallgroßhandel
Trier – scrap yard and non-ferrous metals processing, Trier · Germany
Accepted grades: grades not established in the register documents
B Company website – metals trading · verified 2026-10-08
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Bad Sulza – Großheringen, Bad Sulza · Germany
Accepted grades: grades not established in the register documents
B Viega – komunikat 11.11.2024 · verified 2026-10-06
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Wickede – clad strip, Wickede (Ruhr) · Germany
Accepted grades: grades not established in the register documents
B Group website – Wickeder Westfalenstahl (wickeder-group.com) · verified 2026-10-17
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Ulm – remelting of copper scrap into casting alloy ingots, Ulm · Germany
Accepted grades: grades not established in the register documents
B Wieland website – Wieland Recycling GmbH · verified 2026-10-08
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Ulm – rolling mill, foundry, extrusion plant (registered office), Ulm · Germany
Accepted grades: grades not established in the register documents
B Wieland Group, 2024/25 Sustainability Report (volume 604 kt, recyclate share 82.4%) · verified 2026-10-08
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Velbert-Langenberg – strip rolling mill, Velbert · Germany
Accepted grades: grades not established in the register documents
B Wieland Group, 2024/25 Sustainability Report (volume 604 kt, recyclate share 82.4%) · verified 2026-10-08
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Villingen-Schwenningen – strip rolling mill, Villingen-Schwenningen · Germany
Accepted grades: grades not established in the register documents
B Wieland Group, 2024/25 Sustainability Report (volume 604 kt, recyclate share 82.4%) · verified 2026-10-08
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Vöhringen – foundry, tube mill, bar mill, Vöhringen · Germany
Accepted grades: grades not established in the register documents
B Wieland Group, 2024/25 Sustainability Report (volume 604 kt, recyclate share 82.4%) · verified 2026-10-08
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Zimmer Schrott- und Metallhandels GmbH
Hürth-Knapsack – cable granulation and non-ferrous metals processing, Hürth · Germany
Accepted grades: insulated copper wire and cable scrap
B Company website – home page · verified 2026-10-08
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Bensheim – granulacja kabli, Bensheim · Germany
Accepted grades: insulated copper wire and cable scrap, aluminium wire and cable scrap
B Company website – home page · verified 2026-10-08
The list shows the first 150 of 56 buyers; the full result is in the export.
No buyers with these filters. A larger radius, the area “also GB, CH, NO, TR”, the type “both” or a search without a grade widens the list.
Export results:
CSV · XLSX · Markdown · JSON
The export contains the result for the filters in the address; distance only with a shipping point from a NUTS 3 region (a point from the map or from the browser is not sent to the server).
Shipment procedure
- Same country
- shipment within the country – national rules
- Other EU country
- shipment between EU Member States – green-listed scrap: Article 18 of Regulation (EU) 2024/1157, document in Annex VII
- Export from the EU
- export from the EU – provisions of Regulation (EU) 2024/1157 on exports from the Union and the rules of the country of import
The description of the shipment procedure is general and does not constitute legal advice. Legal status as of 20 October 2026: Regulation (EU) 2024/1157 of the European Parliament and of the Council on shipments of waste. The classification of the waste and the obligations of the parties are determined case by case.
Buyers in the register
Number of buyer plants by metal and type (a plant of two metals counts in both). The numbers are not market size or shares – they are register plants meeting the buyer rule.
| Metal | smelter | smelter – type of plant | processor | plants in total | companies | with a documented grade | in GB, CH, NO, TR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| copper | 30 | 82 | 284 | 396 | 259 | 84 | 53 |
| aluminium | 158 | 270 | 302 | 730 | 515 | 127 | 109 |
Buyers by country
Buyer plants by country and metal; the country name leads to the “metal × country” page.
| Country | Cu – smelter | Cu – smelter – type of plant | Cu – processor | Al – smelter | Al – smelter – type of plant | Al – processor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austria | · | 2 | 7 | 6 | 16 | 8 |
| Belgium | · | 1 | 14 | 1 | 6 | 14 |
| Bulgaria | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| Croatia | · | · | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Cyprus | 1 | · | 1 | 1 | · | 1 |
| Czechia | · | 1 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 5 |
| Denmark | · | · | 6 | · | 1 | 7 |
| Estonia | · | · | · | · | · | 3 |
| Finland | 1 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| France | 3 | 11 | 22 | 17 | 41 | 22 |
| Germany | 8 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 48 | 26 |
| Greece | · | 1 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 4 |
| Hungary | · | 1 | · | 3 | 8 | 3 |
| Ireland | · | · | 1 | · | · | 2 |
| Italy | 5 | 15 | 19 | 22 | 44 | 22 |
| Latvia | · | · | 2 | 1 | · | 2 |
| Lithuania | · | · | 6 | 1 | · | 6 |
| Luxembourg | · | 1 | · | 1 | 1 | · |
| Netherlands | · | 1 | 15 | 2 | 3 | 14 |
| Norway (outside the EU) | · | · | 8 | 11 | 4 | 10 |
| Poland | 3 | 5 | 32 | 9 | 20 | 32 |
| Portugal | · | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Romania | 1 | 1 | 15 | 4 | 4 | 15 |
| Slovakia | · | · | 2 | 1 | 5 | 2 |
| Slovenia | · | · | 8 | 1 | 2 | 8 |
| Spain | 4 | 5 | 41 | 14 | 14 | 42 |
| Sweden | 2 | 2 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 7 |
| Switzerland (outside the EU) | · | 1 | 17 | 1 | 4 | 17 |
| Türkiye (outside the EU) | · | 4 | 5 | 7 | 16 | 5 |
| United Kingdom (outside the EU) | 1 | 1 | 16 | 10 | 6 | 18 |
EU scrap market
EU-27 scrap trade with non-EU countries (Eurostat Comext): imports and exports in tonnes, main partners. Scrap mass, not metal content; tonnes of copper and aluminium are not added up.
Copper scrap
Table of years (chart data)
| Year | of which from outside the EU (t) | of which to outside the EU (t) | Import unit value (EUR/t) | Export unit value (EUR/t) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 570,304 | 843,290 | 3,559 | 2,831 |
| 2016 | 534,485 | 822,093 | 3,188 | 2,454 |
| 2017 | 517,357 | 873,180 | 3,676 | 2,961 |
| 2018 | 519,608 | 637,072 | 3,768 | 3,327 |
| 2019 | 554,208 | 696,487 | 3,696 | 3,107 |
| 2020 | 552,211 | 605,776 | 3,768 | 3,055 |
| 2021 | 529,241 | 678,606 | 5,119 | 4,543 |
| 2022 | 541,627 | 489,730 | 5,825 | 5,120 |
| 2023 | 451,492 | 531,200 | 5,540 | 4,891 |
| 2024 | 408,105 | 608,438 | 5,966 | 5,371 |
| 2025 | 476,276 | 648,532 | 6,330 | 5,652 |
| 2026 incomplete year: 2026-01/2026-08 | 319,196 | 492,141 | 7,824 | 7,078 |
Largest scrap suppliers (2025)
- United States 152,221 t
- Switzerland 70,043 t
- United Kingdom 67,738 t
- Norway 19,958 t
- Morocco 11,090 t
Largest scrap destinations (2025)
- China 309,896 t
- India 109,038 t
- Thailand 50,168 t
- Pakistan 26,076 t
- Japan 24,985 t
Unit value (EUR/t) – value divided by mass from trade declarations (Comext); an approximation of the price level, not a market price. CN codes: 7404 00 10, 7404 00 91, 7404 00 99 .
Source: Eurostat Comext – EU trade by CN8 (DS-045409), as of 2026-10-20. Balance = exports − imports. Comext
Aluminium scrap
Table of years (chart data)
| Year | of which from outside the EU (t) | of which to outside the EU (t) | Import unit value (EUR/t) | Export unit value (EUR/t) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 465,295 | 679,385 | 1,257 | 1,221 |
| 2016 | 520,286 | 681,610 | 1,106 | 1,070 |
| 2017 | 567,587 | 717,534 | 1,257 | 1,194 |
| 2018 | 611,053 | 704,414 | 1,278 | 1,196 |
| 2019 | 665,746 | 834,518 | 1,124 | 1,028 |
| 2020 | 602,187 | 946,776 | 998 | 946 |
| 2021 | 563,142 | 1,114,384 | 1,406 | 1,368 |
| 2022 | 702,956 | 992,253 | 1,876 | 1,772 |
| 2023 | 607,586 | 1,165,920 | 1,580 | 1,545 |
| 2024 | 657,263 | 1,257,738 | 1,692 | 1,646 |
| 2025 | 652,372 | 1,277,301 | 1,788 | 1,774 |
| 2026 incomplete year: 2026-01/2026-08 | 462,043 | 853,182 | 2,149 | 2,139 |
Largest scrap suppliers (2025)
- Switzerland 158,719 t
- United Kingdom 113,738 t
- Norway 46,146 t
- Türkiye 34,172 t
- Israel 32,887 t
Largest scrap destinations (2025)
- India 382,981 t
- Thailand 149,624 t
- China 127,142 t
- Hong Kong 106,680 t
- Pakistan 103,840 t
Unit value (EUR/t) – value divided by mass from trade declarations (Comext); an approximation of the price level, not a market price. CN codes: 7602 00 11, 7602 00 19, 7602 00 90 .
Source: Eurostat Comext – EU trade by CN8 (DS-045409), as of 2026-10-20. Balance = exports − imports. Comext
Rules
- Buyer from the Companies register
- A scrap buyer is a register plant in a smelting link (smelter, secondary refinery, ingot caster, rod mill) or a processing link (recycling, shredding, granulation, e-waste recycling), with copper or aluminium, not closed, in the EU-27 or – as an option – in the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Norway and Türkiye.
- Semi-finished product plants and foundries
- Rolling mills, wire drawing plants, extrusion plants and foundries with copper or aluminium are “smelter” buyers: scrap intake is inferred from the type of plant, not from a document – marked and can be excluded with a filter.
- Grade only from a document
- A grade entry for a plant exists only when a primary document (purchase page, grade list, permit with waste codes, register) names the grade, the waste code or the scrap CN code for that plant. A general “we buy scrap” without the metal is not an entry.
- Distance
- Distance is the straight-line (great-circle) distance from the shipping point; it is not road distance or transport cost.
- Unit value
- The trade unit value (EUR/t) comes from Comext trade declarations – it approximates the price level and is not a market price. The portal publishes no price agency or LME quotations.
- Procedure
- The description of the shipment procedure is general, with the legal act and the date of the legal status – it is not legal advice.
- Picture of the market
- The list of buyers is a picture of the market – not a commercial recommendation; no rankings, ratings or personal data.
Pages of the Recycling tab and their Markdown versions: text and data mining (including model training) allowed with attribution (ai-waw.com). Data files (.json, .csv, .xlsx) are reserved (Art. 4(3) Directive (EU) 2019/790), like the data files of the Companies register.
Scrap code translator → · Method – Recycling section · Companies