A DGFT notice dated 21 October 2026 lets certificate-free scrap from six safe regions enter India through 11 ports instead of 8, and be cleared at inland container depots. Official trade data show those six regions supplied about half of India's ₹1.17 lakh crore metal scrap import bill in 2025-26. The European Union, about a third of that flow, has proposed stopping metal scrap exports to India from 21 May 2027, and its final list is due by 21 November 2026.
In the week to 15 October 2026, brass scrap in Delhi and Jamnagar fell by ₹35 to ₹54 a kg and aluminium alloy ingot slipped about 2%, as downstream factories went quiet before Diwali on 8 November. The telling part is that it happened even where global metal moved the other way: LME copper rose about 1.2% over the fortnight while Indian brass scrap dropped, because the price you get in mid-October is set by local festive demand, not the exchange. Steel scrap, by contrast, barely moved. For dealers sitting on clean non-ferrous scrap, this is a holding decision, not a distress sale.
Dubai Customs' four-month ban on aluminium, copper and iron scrap exports reached its end date on 8 October 2026 and, under its own terms, renewed automatically, because no cancelling notice was issued. Official trade data show Gulf aluminium scrap shipments to India fell by a third in April to July 2026, while India paid about 42% more per kilo for the scrap it imported in July. Two decisions in Delhi, on the 2.5% import duty and on inspection certificates, are still pending.
A government-wide Special Campaign 6.0, with a special focus on e-waste disposal, is scheduled to run in offices from 2 to 31 October 2026. A report on 30 September 2026 added a warning about paperwork. A tax notice dated 27 August 2026 alleges that three home-appliance makers claimed tax credits of about $714,000 in total on recycling services that were not shown to have been delivered. The makers have said they will respond or cooperate, and none of the allegations has been tested. For everyone who handles e-waste, from kabadiwalas to recyclers, the lesson is to write the weight, the date and the name on every lot.
Since 10 October 2024, two rules decide how GST is handled on almost every metal scrap deal in India. If the seller is unregistered, the registered buyer pays the GST under reverse charge. If the seller is registered, the buyer deducts 2% TDS on larger deals. Here is how each works, with examples, and what has changed since.
The GST Council meets in New Delhi on 7 October 2026, its first meeting in over a year. Reports say the agenda is about fixing procedures rather than cutting rates. For India's metal scrap trade, where buyers pay 18% GST in cash up front and lose credit when a supplier defaults, those procedures may matter more than any rate change. Here is what is expected, what is not, and what it could mean for your cash flow.
September has closed, and each of our four material reports tells a different story. Copper went nowhere after a $750 swing, polymer prices rose round after round, lithium lost a quarter of its value, and Punjab's harvest season has begun. Here is the month in one page, with a link to the full report for your material.
Copper finished September almost exactly where it began, after a swing of more than $750 a tonne along the way. Zinc and copper stocks in London warehouses rose sharply, lead stocks fell, and India imported nearly 30% more finished steel in the first five months of the financial year. Here is the month in numbers, and what they say about October.
September changed the ground rules for India's scrap and recycling trade, from Brussels and Beijing to New Delhi and Punjab. Europe drew a line on metal scrap, India tightened its own import checks, oil above $100 made new plastic dearer, and a fixed biogas price gave straw a ten-year market. Here are the ten changes that matter most, ranked, with what each means and who it affects.
A draft EU list published on 18 September 2026 leaves India out of the countries allowed to receive European metal scrap after 21 May 2027. On 24 September, the Material Recycling Association of India (MRAI) asked the Commerce Ministry to step in. The list is not final: comments close on 16 October and the first list is due by 21 November 2026. The outcome depends largely on whether the Commission accepts that Indian recyclers handle metal scrap safely.
Prices for copper, aluminium, and zinc are climbing while nickel slides, creating clear opportunities for scrap dealers to sell the strong and buy the weak.
High Profit OpportunityBuyer DemandSeller OpportunityPrice Increase
The global race for critical minerals is forcing a rethink in New Delhi. The nation's path to resource security may not run through traditional mines, but through its vast, chaotic scrap ecosystem.
High Profit OpportunityGovernment IncentiveDemand Surge
Driven by AI demand and US stockpiling, the global rally is creating a seller's market in India. For buyers, it's a cost crisis; for sellers, a golden opportunity.
High Profit OpportunitySeller OpportunityPrice IncreaseSupply Shortage
