The purpose of this blog is to identify chemical and metal shortages reported on the Internet. The sources of the information reported here are primarily news releases issued on the Internet. The issue period of the news releases is November 2020.
Section I below lists those chemicals and metals that were on the previous month’s Chemical and Metal Shortage Alert list and continue to have news releases indicating they are in short supply. Click here to read the October 2020 Chemical and Metal Shortage Alert list.
Section II lists the new chemicals and metals (not on the October alert). Also provided is some explanation for the shortage and geographical information. This blog attempts to list only actual shortage situations – those shortages that are being experienced during the period covered by the news releases. Chemicals and metals identified in news releases as only being in danger of being in shortage status are not listed.
Section I.
- Aluminum cans: United States; supply not keeping up with demand
- Building materials: global; supply not keeping up with demand
- Coronavirus protective and testing equipment: global; supply not keeping up with demand
- Lumber: United States and Canada; production not keeping up with demand
- Scrap steel: Asia; supply not keeping up with demand
- Steel: United
States, South Africa; production not keeping up with demand
Section II.
Shortages Reported in November not found on the Previous Month’s List
- Carbon dioxide: United States; production not keeping up with demand
- Carbonic acid: South Korea; insufficient imports
- Copper: global; mining not keeping up with demand
- Corrugated cardboard/fiberboard: South Korea; supply not keeping up with demand
- Shipping containers: global; supply not keeping up demand
- Solar module materials (polysilicon, solar glass): global; production not keeping up with demand
- Toluene: India; supply not keeping up with demand
- Waste paper: India; supply not keeping up with demand
Reasons for Section II shortages can be broadly categorized as:
- Mining not keeping up with demand: copper
- Production not keeping up with demand: carbon dioxide; solar module materials (polysilicon, solar glass)
- Government regulations: none
- Sources no longer available: none
- Insufficient imports: carbonic acid
- Supply not keeping up with demand: corrugated cardboard/fiberboard; shipping containers; toluene; waste paper
