Japan Al Alloy Import Price Marks Yearly Low in September

Japanese aluminium alloy ingot import decreased for 3 months in a row through September from recent peak of 98,901 tonnes in June, according to Ministry of Finance. The import price marked yearly low at 178.8 yen per kilogram due to yen appreciation.

The cathode copper import increased by 84% in September from a year earlier. The copper scrap import increased by 48.0% when rolled copper makers increased the material purchase to keep high level production.

The nickel ingot import increased by 52% in September from a year earlier. The tin ingot import increased to 2.6 times. These 2 metals’ import recovered the level before global economy recession in September 2008.

Japanese cathode copper export to the largest consuming country, China decreased by 13.0% to 15,428 tonnes in September from a year earlier. Japanese copper smelters reduced the export while they cut the output due to shortage in copper ore supply. On the other hand, the copper scrap export to China increased by 0.9% to 24,289 tonnes, which increased for the first time in 8 months.