Japan Brass Bar Makers Widen Raw Materials Options

Japanese brass bar makers use more copper scrap grades when supply shortage is severe for main raw materials of brass turning scrap and standard grade copper scrap. The makers try to keep brass bar production by using other grades of scrap.

The makers usually use brass scrap and standard grade copper scrap while they don’t use electrolytic copper and electrolytic zinc ingot usually. The makers around Tokyo started to increase brass scrap with nickel and chrome plating, which they try to avoid using usually, and high grade new cutting copper scrap.

The brass bar makers’ production recovered 80-100% level of first half of 2008. However, the scrap generation is still low level due to slow operation rate by small metal processing plants. Especially, the scrap supply decreases when some dealers cannot ship high priced scrap inventory under decreasing copper market.

The makers usually collect scrap from the products’ buyers in turning scrap and remnant scrap while the makers purchase scrap from dealers. They keep the operation rate so far but they concern potential production cut due to scrap shortage.