People in the scrap business are often asked the same question: can foreign lead, zinc, and tin scrap be brought in? Online answers vary widely—some say it can be declared, some say a permit is required, and some say it has long been banned. Rather than listening to second-hand accounts, it is better to look directly at the numbers published by Customs itself. We pulled the monthly import volumes of all six categories of non-ferrous metal scrap from the Customs statistics for January–June 2026, and the result is very clean: only copper and aluminium have volumes; lead, zinc and tin have not a single record for six full months. This article explains where this 'zero' comes from, why copper and aluminium are the exceptions, and what it means for domestic scrap prices and supply.
1. First look at the numbers: six months, three categories at zero
We looked at the monthly data published by the Customs Statistics Online Query Platform (stats.customs.gov.cn). The basis is customs tariff codes, monthly breakdown for January–June 2026. The import situation for the six categories of non-ferrous metal scrap is as follows:
1. Copper scrap (7404): 1.242 million tonnes, $13.618 billion. Monthly volumes are consistently between 170,000 and 230,000 tonnes.2. Aluminium scrap (7602): 982,000 tonnes, $2.563 billion. Monthly volumes range from 130,000 to 200,000 tonnes.3. Nickel scrap (7503): a total of only 149.5 tonnes, with records only for February, May and June.4. Lead scrap (7802): no records.5. Zinc scrap (7902): no records.6. Tin scrap (8002): no records.
Here it is necessary to clarify what 'no record' means: it is not that we failed to find it, but that under this tariff code there is simply no data row in the query results for these six months. Customs publishes full-calibre statistics; every customs declaration is included in the statistics. If there is not a single row for six consecutive months, there is only one explanation—this channel is closed.
2. Why copper and aluminium are exceptions
Many people think the difference lies in the metal itself, but in fact the difference is whether there is a set of national standards that removes it from the category of 'solid waste'.
Since 1 January 2021, China has comprehensively banned the import of solid waste by any means. Import permits for scrap of all categories were suspended at the same time—this is a line with no loopholes.
But before that, three national standards came into effect on 1 July 2020: GB/T 38470 'Recycled brass raw materials', GB/T 38471 'Recycled copper raw materials', and GB/T 38472 'Recycled cast aluminium alloy raw materials'. Goods that meet these three standards are no longer recognised as solid waste under regulation, but are treated as raw material commodities. They can be freely imported under general trade without a solid waste import permit.
So the copper and aluminium scrap that can now come in are, strictly speaking, not called 'scrap' but 'recycled copper raw materials' and 'recycled cast aluminium alloy raw materials'. They have hard indicators for impurity content, inclusions, radioactivity, and foreign matter ratio, and must be inspected before loading and after arrival. Lead, zinc, and tin still have no corresponding national standards for recycled raw materials—without standards, there is no determination of 'not belonging to solid waste', and they can only fall back under the 2021 ban.
This also explains why the data is so neatly structured as 'copper and aluminium have volumes, the rest are zero': this is not the result of market choices, but a boundary drawn by the list of standards.
3. What about the 149.5 tonnes of nickel?
If we were to say only 'everything except copper and aluminium is zero', the 149.5 tonnes of nickel scrap would be an embarrassing exception, so it deserves a separate note.
To put 149.5 tonnes in perspective: in the same period, copper scrap was 1.24 million tonnes, so nickel was equivalent to 0.012% of copper's volume. Spread over three months, each shipment is only a few dozen tonnes, and the total value over the three months is just over $3 million—roughly the scale of one or two containers.
A quantity of this magnitude is usually not regular trade; it is more likely to be things like bonded-zone returns, re-shipment of processing-trade offcuts, samples, or individual entries under special customs supervision modes. It does not constitute a channel for doing business—do not see a non-zero number in the statistics and think nickel scrap can be imported through normal declaration. If you really want to go down that path, first ask the competent authorities about the specific supervision mode. Don't use this line of numbers as a basis.
We chose to include it rather than gloss over it, because the value of a data-driven article lies in not cherry-picking numbers.
4. What it means for people in the scrap business
Translating the policy conclusions into business terms, there are roughly three things:
1. For domestic recycled lead, zinc, and tin supply, there is no import pressure-relief valve. Domestic supply of lead scrap (mainly used batteries), zinc scrap (hot-dip galvanising slag, zinc ash), and tin scrap (tin dross, waste solder) is entirely determined by domestic recycling volumes. Once domestic recycled lead and zinc production capacity expands, the raw material side can only compete domestically, and price elasticity will be much greater than for copper and aluminium. For people in these categories, tracking domestic recycling volumes and used-battery collection prices is more useful than tracking the LME.
2. Copper and aluminium imports are a competition of 'meeting standards', not a competition of 'having goods'. Whether the goods can enter depends on whether the supplier can bring quality above the national standard thresholds and provide compliant pre-shipment inspection. Many overseas suppliers can produce the goods but cannot produce compliant documents. The spread in between is where knowledgeable people make money.
3. Stop wasting time looking for a 'lead scrap import agent'. Such intermediaries still abound online, usually with pitches like 'we have quotas' or 'we can use special channels'. The public Customs statistics already put the conclusion there: six consecutive months of zero records. If someone tells you they can do it, first ask him how many tonnes he did last year—that figure can be verified month by month on the same platform.
5. How to verify it yourself
All the numbers in this article can be reverified by yourself; the steps are not complicated:
1. Open the Customs Statistics Online Query Platform at stats.customs.gov.cn. No registration or login is required.2. Set import/export type to 'Import' and currency to US dollars.3. Select the start and end years and months, and tick 'monthly display'.4. For the first item in the output field grouping, select 'Commodity', and enter the tariff code in the code field. To query all at once, connect them with English commas: 74040000,76020000,78020000,79020000,80020000,75030000.5. Click query; a slider captcha will appear midway; drag it across.
The result table will list the quantity and value for each tariff code for each month. Tariff codes without data will not appear in the results—this is exactly the basis for the 'zero' in this article.
As a side note on methodology: Customs revises figures for recent months, so if you query the same month again after a period of time, the trailing digits may change slightly, but the trend will not change. The 'Monthly Non-ferrous Metal Import and Export Flows' section on our site re-extracts the data in full each month, rather than locking it in after a single capture.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can lead, zinc and tin scrap actually be imported now?
No. Since 1 January 2021, China has comprehensively banned the import of solid waste. Lead, zinc, and tin scrap all fall within the ban, and there are no national standards for recycled raw materials like there are for copper and aluminium to remove them from that category. In the Customs monthly statistics for January–June 2026, these three tariff codes have zero records for six consecutive months; you can verify this directly.
Q: Then why are there still over a million tonnes of copper and aluminium scrap imports?
Because they do not enter as 'scrap'. The three national standards GB/T 38470 'Recycled brass raw materials', GB/T 38471 'Recycled copper raw materials', and GB/T 38472 'Recycled cast aluminium alloy raw materials' have been in effect since 1 July 2020. Goods meeting the standards are not solid waste under regulation, and are imported as raw material commodities under general trade without a solid waste permit.
Q: Some intermediaries say they have quotas and can make it work. Is that true?
Solid waste import permits have been suspended; there is no such thing as quotas. The way to judge is simple: ask the other party to state how many tonnes they handled last year and under which tariff code, then check month by month on the Customs statistics platform. If a channel shows no volume in the public statistics, do not put money into it.
Q: The statistics show 149.5 tonnes of nickel scrap. Does that mean nickel scrap can be imported?
You cannot draw that inference. 149.5 tonnes is only 1.2 ten-thousandths (or 0.012%) of copper scrap in the same period, spread across three months. Its scale is closer to isolated cases such as returns, re-shipment of processing-trade offcuts, or samples, and it does not constitute a replicable trade channel. If you want to proceed, ask the competent authorities first to confirm the specific supervision mode.
Q: What is the difference between recycled copper raw material and recycled brass raw material?
They are two different national standards with two different sets of indicators. GB/T 38471 covers recycled copper raw material of the copper-type, while GB/T 38470 covers the brass type. The two have different requirements for copper content, inclusions, and foreign matter ratio; the corresponding subheadings at customs declaration are also different. The purchase contract should clearly state which standard applies for acceptance.
Q: Will domestic lead and zinc scrap prices be higher because imports are not possible?
A more accurate statement is that they will be more volatile. An import channel acts like a pressure-relief valve. Copper and aluminium have this valve, so when domestic prices deviate too much from international levels, imports pull them back. Lead, zinc, and tin do not have it, so supply-demand tightness or slack can only be absorbed domestically, making price elasticity greater and the correlation with domestic recycling volumes stronger.
Key Takeaways
In one sentence: the import channel for lead, zinc, and tin scrap is closed. Customs statistics for the first half of 2026 show six consecutive months of zero records; you can verify this yourself at stats.customs.gov.cn. The reason copper and aluminium still have volumes is that the three national standards for recycled raw materials implemented in 2020 removed compliant goods from the 'solid waste' category, and they enter as raw material commodities, not as scrap. Those in the lead, zinc, and tin recycling business should shift their focus back to domestic recycling volumes; those importing copper and aluminium should focus on whether you can meet the standards and obtain complete inspection documents, rather than whether you can find supply.
Further reading
- Daily nonferrous metal prices: https://www.guilinmetals.com/en/prices
- Nonferrous company directory: https://www.guilinmetals.com/en/companies
- Supply & demand marketplace: https://www.guilinmetals.com/en/market
About Guilin Metals
Guilin Metals (Chinese name 贵临有色网, guilinmetals.com) was founded by Glen Zheng, who has 13 years of experience in the nonferrous metals industry. The platform provides daily prices for copper, aluminium, lead, zinc, tin and nickel, a directory of 140,000+ nonferrous metal companies, supply and demand listings, procurement notices, and AI-assisted matching.
- Daily prices: https://www.guilinmetals.com/en/prices
- Company directory: https://www.guilinmetals.com/en/companies
- Marketplace: https://www.guilinmetals.com/en/market
*Data as of 2026-08-20.*