Non-ferrous metal trade could suffer from US, EU sanctions on Russia

The effects of any US and European Union (EU) sanctions on the non-ferrous metals trade with Russia could be significant, based on the volumes of metals traded.

The effects of any US and European Union (EU) sanctions on the non-ferrous metals trade with Russia could be significant, based on the volumes of metals traded, Metal Bulletin reported back in April in an article that it republishes today.

Trade data shows that if the sanctions are far-reaching, the implications for the metals trade could be huge.

US imports/exports
Last year, the USA imported unwrought aluminium worth $432.92 million from Russia, and aluminium and related articles valued at $538.75 million. It exported the same products to Russia, generating $364,875 and $9.20 million in receipts, respectively.

During the same year, Russian titanium and related articles worth $168.38 million entered the USA, and the USA exported $12.29 million of these products to Russia.

The USA also imported ferro-alloys ($221.89 million); unwrought nickel ($155.03 million); and nickel and related articles ($161.11 million) from Russia in 2013.

In the same year, the USA exported unwrought nickel ($341,619) and nickel and articles ($4.95 million) to Russia.

In 2011, the latest period for which data could be obtained, the USA exported just $11,550 of ferro-alloys to Russia.

The USA also imported $1.4 million of Russian unwrought refined copper and copper alloys, while exporting very little of the same ($3,688) to Russia last year.

The USA imported $14,069 of zinc ores and concentrates from Russia and exported $94,153 of zinc oxide and zinc peroxide in 2013.

EU imports/exports
The EU is also mulling sanctions against Russia, should it make further moves against Ukraine.

The EU in 2012 imported from Russia aluminium ores and concentrates worth $1.2 million; aluminium and related articles worth $1.89 billion; and unwrought aluminium valued at $1.35 billion.

Meanwhile, the EU exported to Russia aluminium ores and concentrates generating receipts of $5.07 million; aluminium and related articles worth $710.09 million; and unwrought aluminium costing $5.85 million.

The EU imported $1.94 million of titanium ores and concentrates from Russia in 2012, and $251.42 million of titanium and related articles, while exporting $3.37 million and $11.15 million, respectively, to Russia.

The EU also imported from Russia unwrought magnesium worth $9.26 million from Russia and magnesium and related articles worth $10.18 million in 2012.

Meanwhile, it exported $218 million of unwrought magnesium to Russia and $242,824 of magnesium and related articles. The EU imported $670.35 million of ferro-alloys and exported $29.43 million’s worth to Russia in 2012.

Alan Osborn
Kitty So

*Additional reporting by Hanna Lange-Chenier

editorial@metalbulletin.com

[This article was originally published at 12:40 on April 10. It was republished after a Malaysian Airlines plane crashed on July 17 after flying across eastern Ukraine, raising the possibility of further sanctions against Russia. US secretary of state John Kerry said on July 20 Russia armed the separatists that he said shot down the plane.

What to read next
Brazil's aluminium industry is further enhancing its sustainability by boosting renewable energy use and recycling, while mitigating risk from high-carbon imports
German copper producer Aurubis is among the least likely to consider reducing capacity despite record low treatment charges (TCs), according to its chief executive officer
European copper demand, particularly for wire rod, remains strong and seems to be outpacing broader macro-economic growth in the region, the chief executive officer of German producer Aurubis has said.
The process to place the smaller and less efficient of the two processing plants at Los Bronces on care and maintenance is expected to be completed by mid-2024 and comes as the company pushes value over volume, the chief executive officer of Anglo American Chile said
The near-term prospects for Chinese copper smelting capacity amid near-zero treatment charges (TCs) will, to a certain extent, depend on plants’ exposure to spot TCs, the chief executive officer of Rio Tinto’s copper division said on Tuesday, April 16
It will be very difficult for many Chinese copper smelters to compete with treatment and refining charges (TC/RCs) at record lows, according to the chairman of Chile’s state-owned copper producer Codelco