Price rise of scrap printing plates reflects new aluminium costs

Sydney prices for used printing plates have risen from $1.20 per kilo late last year to $2.65 per kilo and are expected to go higher as scrap metal firms find a ready demand for recycled aluminium. This can represent a substantial financial offset for printers with a 0,3 gauge A1 plate weighing about 640grams, fetching between $1.55 and $1.70 each.

A commercial printer using up to 15,000 square meters a year would recover over $30,000 in scrap sales. Printing plates are composed of 100 per cent high grade aluminium, which explains why they are so sought after by scrap merchants.

A decision by China to halt exports of its bauxite has sparked the price rises from all the major printing plate suppliers. The substantial price rises are across the board with Kodak and Agfa already in place. FujiFilm in Australia and NZ is expected to announce a five per cent rise in its product portfolio mid-year.

Plate suppliers are taking care to explain the necessity for the price hikes with a major information campaign. Aluminium has risen sharply over the last few years, but the increase has been close to 20 per cent over the last two months alone. Analysts indicate that the price of aluminium and other raw materials will continue to increase.

Agfa has produced an explanatory brochure that includes a graph charting the price rises of aluminium in recent times.