Below is an article about the current scrap market with a recap on the month. The main topic for the weekend was the Recycled Materials Association annual convention, and the current market impact due to tariffs, the war overseas, and how the US markets are reacting.
As you can imagine and have heard for many months now the consistent answer to all of those issues was uncertainty and nervousness. Everyone is in a wait-and-see approach. Markets are changing hourly based on news coming out from different areas of the world.
One of the biggest issues we’re facing (especially here in California) is the rising price of fuel / gases. I have heard from many clients how hard it has affected their bottom line numbers. The price on diesel has risen so quickly that it is hard to figure these charges into our projections and pricing.
It is not just the price of fuel, but raw materials & goods that cannot be made in the US as well that are causing many headaches and confusion. As the article below states – it’s not just the uncertainty but the fear of waiting for the next shoe to drop.
Scrap demand from domestic mills has remained somewhat strong. It’s been a mixed bag from mills in the US compared to the mills overseas. While I would like to see domestic mills capitalize on the ability to recapture market share they seem to be OK letting Asia and India mills still price material lower.
It is an interesting market. As much optimism as we see in many areas there is equal uncertainty.
If you have any questions please do not hesitate to reach out to Marko Metals, your Los Angeles industrial scrap metal processor.
Link: https://www.fastmarkets.com/insights/us-scrap-trends-outlook-april-2026/