China Copper Scrap Imports by Supplier and Shipment Weight
China's copper scrap imports
China imports · Copper waste and scrap · HS 740400 · USD · Data through 2026-09
- Imports · 2026-01–2026-09
- USD 21,181,391,545
- Change from the same months a year earlier
- +52.7%
- Latest month · 2026-09
- USD 2,883,714,908
Source: General Administration of Customs of China
Monthly copper scrap imports
China's latest 12 months of copper scrap imports, through 2026-09.
USD
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- World
View chart data
| Month | World |
|---|---|
| 2026-09 | 2,883,714,908 |
| 2026-08 | 2,111,004,425 |
| 2026-07 | 2,572,869,304 |
| 2026-06 | 2,427,038,883 |
| 2026-05 | 2,133,933,545 |
| 2026-04 | 2,328,379,350 |
| 2026-03 | 2,515,418,155 |
| 2026-02 | 1,822,552,966 |
| 2026-01 | 2,386,480,009 |
| 2025-12 | 2,326,092,788 |
| 2025-11 | 1,908,367,179 |
| 2025-10 | 1,743,821,014 |
Import value and shipment weight
| Month | Import value (USD) | Weight (tonnes) |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-09 | 2,883,714,908 | 236,615 |
| 2025-09 | 1,569,886,260 | 184,065 |
Which suppliers added the most
Supplier totals for 2026-01–2026-09 compared with the same months of 2025, ranked by the increase in import value.
| Supplier | 2025-01–2025-09 | 2026-01–2026-09 | Increase | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thailand | 1,844,915,768 | 3,562,050,081 | 1,717,134,313 | +93.1% |
| Japan | 2,143,689,974 | 3,409,403,980 | 1,265,714,006 | +59% |
| Spain | 566,044,032 | 1,214,695,068 | 648,651,036 | +114.6% |
| Saudi Arabia | 402,808,413 | 814,850,065 | 412,041,652 | +102.3% |
| Taiwan | 532,104,251 | 924,668,524 | 392,564,273 | +73.8% |
Latest suppliers
Thailand led in 2026-09, supplying USD 533,419,512, or 18.5% of China's copper scrap import value.
| Supplier | Import value (USD) | Value share |
|---|---|---|
| Thailand | 533,419,512 | 18.5% |
| Japan | 348,851,967 | 12.1% |
| Spain | 166,661,179 | 5.8% |
| United Kingdom | 128,487,951 | 4.5% |
| Canada | 125,341,460 | 4.3% |
How China's copper scrap supplier mix has changed
Annual import value shares; 2026 covers 2026-01–2026-09. Unavailable supplier shares appear as gaps.
% of import value
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- Thailand
- Japan
- United States
- Malaysia
View chart data
| Period | Thailand | Japan | United States | Malaysia |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 YTD | 16.82 | 16.1 | Not available | Not available |
| 2025 | 13.91 | 16.2 | 6 | 5.36 |
| 2024 | 7.86 | 12.4 | 20.22 | 8.55 |
| 2023 | 8.05 | 14.98 | 18.77 | 10.11 |
| 2022 | 8.09 | 14.21 | 18.65 | 11.76 |
| 2021 | 6.28 | 14.54 | 14.85 | 16.87 |
Annual import spending
| Period | Import value (USD) | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-01–2026-09 | 21,181,391,545 | +52.7% |
| 2025-01–2025-12 | 19,845,808,841 | +11.4% |
| 2024-01–2024-12 | 17,813,233,541 | +23.3% |
| 2023-01–2023-12 | 14,446,153,314 | +5.7% |
| 2022-01–2022-12 | 13,664,561,061 | +7.8% |
| 2021-01–2021-12 | 12,678,243,988 | — |
Worldwide imports of copper and copper-alloy waste and scrap. Supplier shares are measured by import value.
Explore copper scrap import data →
Suggested citation: China Data Portal. “China Copper Scrap Imports by Supplier and Shipment Weight.” https://chinadata.live/insights/china-copper-scrap-imports/. Source: General Administration of Customs of China.
How Thailand overtook Japan
Japan was China’s largest copper scrap supplier by import value in 2025. In January–September 2026, purchases from Japan continued to grow, but Thailand added more dollars and moved into first place. Spain and Saudi Arabia each more than doubled their sales to China over the same nine months. China had already spent more on imported copper scrap by September than in all of 2025.
Share this analysis
The change looks different over a longer period. The United States led in 2024. Compare the annual supplier shares with the table of year-on-year increases to see how much each origin added as the market grew.
What the shipment weight tells us
Copper scrap includes both copper and copper-alloy waste. A tonne of mixed scrap can contain a different amount of recoverable copper from one shipment to the next. In September 2026 China brought in more scrap by weight than a year earlier. The import bill rose faster. Treating that difference as a change in the price of refined copper would overlook the mix of grades in each month’s shipments.
The HS 740400 import series covers supplier values. China also reports weight for tariff line 74040000. Its April–June 2026 records have narrower partner coverage, so a nine-month unit value would require reconciling those records first.
Explore copper scrap imports by supplier
Compare monthly supplier values or preview the underlying trade records.