Global scrap consumption declined in most regions in January-September

According to the Bureau of International Recycling (BIR), steel scrap consumption declined in most key regions of the world in January-September 2025, reflecting a shift in the geography of demand. At the same time, global steel production amounted to 1.374 billion tons (-1.6% y-o-y).

The largest consumer, China, reduced its use of scrap by 13.3% y/y – to 142.2 million tons, along with a 3% y/y decline in steel production. Consumption in the EU fell by 4% y/y – to 56.3 million tons, in the US by 5.5% (40.9 million tons), in Japan by 5.7% (21.9 million tons), and in South Korea by 7.1% (15.6 million tons).

At the same time, new growth centers are showing the opposite trend. In India, scrap utilization increased by 16% y/y – to 29 million tons, outpacing the growth in steel production. Turkey increased its consumption by 4.3% – to 24.5 million tons.

The EU remained the largest exporter of scrap (11.94 million tons; +4% y/y), and Turkey remained the main importer, despite a 6.8% y/y decline in purchases to 13.99 million tons. The main suppliers to Turkish steelmakers are the US (-20.7% y/y; 2.71 million tons), the Netherlands (+3.5% y/y; 2.1 million tons), the UK (+1.1% y/y; to 1.63 million tons), Belgium (+13.6% y/y; 1.08 million tons.

In total, about 630 million tons of recycled steel are used annually worldwide, which avoids nearly 950 million tons of CO2 emissions and reduces energy consumption.

Analysts note that the decline in scrap consumption in developed economies and growth in India and Turkey reflects the redistribution of steel production and the acceleration of the transition to electric steelmaking technologies in developing countries.

As reported by GMK Center, global scrap consumption in 2024 decreased by 1% compared to 2023, to 460.6 million tons. This happened against the backdrop of a weaker decline in total steel production – by 0.7% y/y, to 1.55 billion tons. This trend indicates a certain decline in the role of scrap in the steel cycle in some countries.