Aluminium scrap is the only major base-metal scrap India still charges an import duty on, after copper, zinc and lead went to nil. Two industry bodies now want that 2.5% changed in opposite directions, and the decision lands at the February 2027 Budget. If you import, trade or remelt aluminium scrap, this fight sets your landed cost for the next year.
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.
The Ministry of Steel's draft National Steel Policy: Vision 2047 projects ferrous scrap use rising from 36 million tonnes in 2025-26 to 123 million tonnes by 2047-48. Domestic collection has to do almost all the work: it must grow from 28 million tonnes to 111 million tonnes, and the draft proposes a nationwide collection drive modelled on Swachh Bharat to get there. Scrap's share of steelmaking, though, is planned to stay at about 21%. Anyone can send suggestions to the ministry until 30 October 2026.
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.
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.
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.
This week, Eicher-maker VECV signed a deal to route old trucks into registered scrapping centres. Behind it are a government scheme to replace more than 2 lakh old trucks and buses, and an auto industry that missed its legal scrapping target by 70%. For the first time, subsidy money and compliance demand are pointing at the same scrapyard gate.
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
For the first time in recent memory, Mumbai's MS scrap rates are higher than Pune's, forcing a rethink of sourcing and sales strategies across Maharashtra.
Buyer DemandSeller OpportunityPrice IncreasePrice Drop
A post-monsoon demand surge and tight mill supply have pushed Indian steel scrap prices up by over ₹1,100/tonne in a single week. For sellers, it’s a golden opportunity. For buyers, it’s a critical margin test.
High Profit OpportunitySeller OpportunityPrice IncreaseDemand Surge
A post-monsoon demand surge and tight supply are pushing finished steel prices up. This is a direct signal for scrap suppliers and recyclers that raw material rates will follow.
The cost to make steel is rising. Raw materials like sponge iron and scrap are up by ₹1,000/tonne. This means mills are charging more for steel rods. Here’s what it means for you.
India's large steel mills boosted their production by 1.9% in July, making 14.4 million tonnes of crude steel. This report breaks down what the numbers mean for your wallet and why this could be the best time to sell your stock.
