Trace metal analyses of river channel sediments from Taiwan and New Zealand provide new estimates for global budgets of trace metal inputs to the world's ocean. Mean trace metal values from high standing island river sediments are less chemically weathered than observed in sediments collected from large, continental, rivers and more similar to upper continental crust (UCC) values. Our mean values for Cu, Mn, Co and Pb are similar to the UCC; Zn, Ni and Cr are more highly enriched, compared to UCC values. Our new estimates of global trace metal budgets, combining previous estimates with these new data, show that geochemical fluxes of metals into the oceans are lower than previous estimates, ranging from 9% lower for Co to 24% lower for Cu.