What’s happened.

U.S. aluminum scrap imports reached 580,000 t in the first half of 2026, a three-year high worth roughly $2.07 billion and up 36.79 per cent year over year, after 321,000 t in 2024 and 424,000 t in 2025. Canada supplied 369,000 t, a 63.62 per cent share, up from 197,000 t in 2024 — adding roughly 151,000 t in two years while Mexico slipped to 133,000 t. Second-quarter imports rose 18.05 per cent over the first quarter, well above the 8-10 per cent seasonal lift of prior years, per analysis published Oct. 6.

The mechanism is straightforward. Under Section 232, the U.S. imposed a 25 per cent tariff on aluminum and derivatives in March and ended country-specific exemptions, doubling the rate to 50 per cent for most countries by June, with duties applying to full customs value rather than metal content for entries from Apr. 6. Scrap sits outside all of it: used beverage containers, industrial process scrap and other scrap all enter free. With about 85 per cent of U.S.-produced aluminum coming from secondary sources, according to the Aluminum Association, a 50 per cent duty against zero is a powerful steer toward scrap for any buyer who can use it.

The analysis is candid about the limits: one half-year of data cannot settle whether the shift is structural or cyclical, and a policy reversal, a narrower Midwest premium or Canadian exports redirected to Europe could erode the advantage.

What it means for your business.

Windows like this close. If your business touches aluminum recovery, processing or secondary supply, the cost-and-certainty story for U.S. buyers is worth putting in front of them now — in plain commercial language, not metals-market jargon — rather than waiting to see whether the arbitrage holds through next year.

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Sources & context.

Reported developments are separated from MKTGSpace’s suggested commercial next steps. Reconfirm current conditions before acting.

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Tell us what you sell. We will come prepared to discuss where your offer fits, who to reach and the marketing strategy and implementation needed to pursue the opportunity.

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