A potential easing of trade tensions between the United States and Canada could reshape the North American aluminum market, with European buyers facing the risk of stronger competition for Canadian metal. Import data from ITC Trade Map shows that US purchases of Canadian unwrought aluminum fell sharply in 2025, while imports from Canada increased across six European markets, highlighting how trade flows have evolved amid tariff uncertainty. The United States imported approximately 2.03 million metric tons of unwrought aluminum from Canada in 2025, down 25.9% from 2.74 million metric tons in 2024. The decline amounted to around 711,494 metric tons over the year. Import value also decreased, falling 22.2% from $7.82 billion to $6.09 billion. The figures come as the possibility of a...
Century Aluminum’s proposed USD 4 billion primary aluminum smelter in Inola, Oklahoma, is “moving forward on all fronts” as the company prepares for construction, despite local opposition and legal challenges, CEO Jesse Gary said during the company’s third-quarter earnings call. Developed jointly by Century Aluminum and Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA), the project is designed to produce 750,000 tonnes of primary aluminum annually, potentially doubling U.S. primary aluminum production. The facility is expected to create thousands of direct and indirect jobs and add USD 1.5 billion to Oklahoma’s gross domestic product, according to company estimates. The partners had targeted construction to begin by the end of 2026. However, local restrictions and permitting challenges have affected the...
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As shown by the latest US Geological Survey data on bauxite and alumina imports in the fourth quarter of 2019, the United States imported 1 million tonnes of crude and dried bauxite, up 8 per cent from 929,000 tonnes in the third quarter and 15 per cent more than 840,000 tonnes in the fourth quarter of 2018. With this, the US’ total bauxite imports in 2019 came in at 3.71 million tonnes, as compared with 3.33 million tonnes in the whole of 2018. Jamaica was the leading supplier of bauxite in Q4 2019, followed by Brazil and Turkey. While Jamaica exported 702,000 tonnes accounting for 70 per cent of the total bauxite import by the US, Brazil contributed 27 per cent by supplying 272,000 tonnes. From Turkey, the US imported 28,200 tonnes in Q4. Imports of alumina during Q4 2019 totalled at...
Nordex, the European company that designs, sells and manufactures wind turbines has secured an order for the 400 MW Øyfjellet wind farm in northern Norway from a un-famed German investment house linked to a corporate power purchase agreement (PPA) with metals group Alcoa. Electricity generation from the mammoth wind farm will deliver energy for the aluminium giant's smelter plant in the nearby industrial town of Mosjøen, as well for the local community. The Øyfjellet project was developed by Eolus Vind, one of the largest developers in the Nordics, and will feature 72 of the OEM’s N149/5.X turbines in the 5MW class on 105-metre steel towers. Nordex Chief Sales Officer Patxi Landa said: “With Øyfjellet being such a large and prestigious project, we are delighted that our new customer,...
The US dollar fell against a basket of currencies on Tuesday. LME aluminium and lead, closed lower overnight. The SHFE kept its night trading session suspended. Three-month LME aluminium weakened in a volatile trading session and ended at US$1,554.5 per tonne. Shanghai Metals Market expects the contract to trade at US$1,540-1,600 per tonne today. As on Tuesday March 24, LME aluminium cash (bid) price stands at US$ 1532.50 per tonne, LME official settlement price stands at US$ 1532.50 per tonne; 3-months bid price stands at US$ 1567.50 per tonne, 3-months offer price is US$ 1567.50 per tonne; Dec 21 bid price stands at US$ 1685.50 per tonne, and Dec 21 offer price stands at US$ 1685.50 per tonne. The LME aluminium opening stock stood at 1100675 tonnes. Live Warrants totalled 929675 tonnes,...
After remaining restrained at RMB 11,220 per tonne on March 24, followed by a havoc downfall of RMB 570 per tonne on the preceeding day, the A00 aluminium ingot price today, on March 25, has gained RMB 110 per tonne to stand at RMB 11,330 per tonne, found Shanghai Metals Market. The average prices are expected to range between RMB 11,310 per tonne and RMB 11,350 per tonne, with spot contract to be traded at a discount price of RMB 110 per tonne to RMB 70 per tonne. Wuxi and Gongyi have seen the highest rise of RMB 125 per tonne to RMB 11,335 per tonne and RMB 11,375 per tonne, respectively. In Foshan and Chongqing, the price has increased by RMB 110 per tonne to RMB 11,320 per tonne and RMB 11,380 per tonne, and that in Tianjin, Shenyang, and Hangzhou has grown by RMB 90 per tonne, RMB 80...
European Aluminium sincerely regrets the US anti-dumping investigation into common alloy aluminium sheet from Croatia, Germany, Greece, Italy, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain and Turkey. European Aluminium oppose the injurious dumping and subsidisation allegations and strongly urges the US authorities not to impose additional trade barriers but rather to work together with the European Commission to address subsidised Chinese overcapacity. This is the root cause of the challenges faced by the aluminium industries in Europe and the US. Gerd Götz, Director General of European Aluminium said: “We are very concerned about the possibility of having additional trade barriers between the US and Europe. Instead of imposing additional duties on each other, we should work together to address the...
The manufacturer of high-performance aluminium cables in UAE, The Ducab Group, recorded a 5% gain in profits for 2019. The company, owned by Dubai and Abu Dhabi governments is yet to release the breakdown of the financials. Ducab, which operates six manufacturing facilities across four sites in the UAE, has an installed capacity of 115,000 metal tonnes of high, medium, and low-voltage cable solutions, upgraded production of 175,000 tonnes of copper rod and wire per annum. This is backed up by 50,000 tonnes per annum of aluminium rod and overhead conductors. Ducab exports 60% of its overall production worldwide. Dr Ahmad Bin Hassan Al Shaikh, Chairman said: “We are proudly flying the flag for “Made in UAE” products across the world, with Ducab cables and accessories now used in more than...
On 23 rd March’20, Francois Legault ordered the closure of all non-essential businesses and businesses as early as 11:59 p.m. 24 th March’20, in the hope to cut off the widespread of the COVID-19 pandemic. The government has admitted the “strategic” nature of the aluminium industry, allowing it to continue its activities. However, the industrial and mining complexes must minimize their activities. The aluminium industry was delighted on Monday to be counted among the "indispensable" companies which will be able to continue operating, even though in a limited way, beyond 24 th March’20 evening. The Aluminum Association of Canada has assured that its members intend to comply with this instruction, in effect until 13 th April’20. The Association said: "This contribution to the national...
The impact of the Coronavirus outbreak is seen in China’s alumina exports as well. During January-February this year, China could export as minimum as 30,000 tonnes of alumina in total, down 82.7 per cent from the same period last year, according to China Customs data. Along with the export amount, China’s alumina export value decreased as well by about 83.1 per cent year-on-year to stand at RMB 97.39 million during January-February 2020, showed the data. Separately, China’s exports of unwrought aluminium and aluminium semi-finished products hovered at 669,208 tonnes in the first two months of the year, down 25.3 per cent from a year earlier. The export value was lower by 21.5 per cent standing at RMB 12,898.21 million. China’s imports of unwrought aluminium and aluminium semis, however,...
Ryobi, the aluminium casting maker has temporarily pulled down its Carrickfergus operation and send all of its 560 staffs on temporary lay-off until 3 rd April’20. This news was communicated to the employees by a senior person of the company at its Northern Ireland headquarters on 23 rd March’20. The company was founded in Japan more than 70 years ago and it is considered as the global leader in aluminium die-casting. It makes it the largest manufacturer in the north hit by the coronavirus pandemic, and comes as the entire European automobile industry has effectively shut down until mid-April. The Unite union, which represents many of the Ryobi workers, confirmed it had spoken to management. It said it was looking at details of the terms and conditions being offered to the workers under...
According to Shanghai Metals Market, the social inventories of primary aluminium ingots rose by 17,000 tonnes over the weekend across eight major consumption areas in China, including SHFE warrants, as of Monday, March 23. The price thus, came in at 1.664 million tonnes, in contrast to 1.647 million tonnes on last Thursday, March 19. The chart below indicates the current status of primary aluminium inventories across China in more details: As the above chart shows, the inventories in Shanghai, Nanhai, Hangzhou, and Wuxi grew by 7,000 tonnes, 5,000 tonnes, 2,000 tonnes, and 1,000 tonnes, respectively, to stand at 158,000 tonnes, 432,000 tonnes, 132,000 tonnes, and 650,000 tonnes. In Chongqing, the inventories increased by 4,000 tonnes to 21,000 tonnes, while that in Gongyi have dropped by...
After the success of the E-Magazine “Aluminium Industry 4.0: Drivers & Change Makers” last year, AlCircle has come up with a report on the same topic, but with more information and awareness on Industry 4.0. The report titled "Industry 4.0 in Aluminium" is an attempt to highlight how the implementation of Industry 4.0 and ‘smart manufacturing’ is revolutionising the aluminium manufacturing and processing. Industry 4.0 is used interchangeably with the fourth industrial revolution and represents a new stage in the organization and control of the industrial value chain. It represents the current systems and technologies for automation, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data exchange used in the manufacturing and industrial sector. In short, the concept of Industry 4.0 is about...
The Indonesian government has been in a continuous process to encourage increasing the production of domestic aluminium. But still, the export market of Indonesia’s household articles has been inconsistent throughout 2017-19; as well the 2020 prediction has shown a steep slow down. In 2017 the total export the aluminium household articles recorded 3978 tonnes and the foreign revenue generated stood at $14.33 million. The export in 2018 captured de-growth of 16.26%, as the total volume of export, stood at 3330 tonnes. The revenue generation was reflected at $12.79 million, a steep fall of 21.34% on Y-o-Y. In 2019 the export market of Indonesian aluminium household articles grew by 51.08% showing a positive trend after a long time, as the total export stood at 5031 tonnes. The total foreign...
The average alumina spot price has extended decline by RMB 33 per tonne to stand as low as RMB 2,498 per tonne, as of Tuesday, March 24, found Shanghai Metals Market. In the east and central, the price has inched down by RMB 40 per tonne to hover at RMB 2,500 per tonne and RMB 2,510 per tonne, respectively. In the north, the price has decreased by RMB 30 per tonne to RMB 2,500 per tonne, but that in the south has remained restrained at RMB 2,520 per tonne. The imported alumina price has fallen today by RMB 70 per tonne to RMB 2,510 per tonne after remaining restrained throughout the month until March 23 at RMB 2,580 per tonne. The average imported alumina prices today are expected to range between RMB 2,480 per tonne and RMB 2,540 per tonne. <iframe width="500" height="300"...
The US dollar dropped against a basket of currencies overnight after the US Federal Reserve the Federal Reserved announced aggressive asset purchases to support markets. Three-month LME aluminium rebounded to an intraday high of US$ 1,580 per tonne after plumbing its lowest since June 2016 at US$ 1,538.5 per tonne in late Asian trading hours. It later eased to end the day lower at US$ 1,560 per tonne, with the build-up of short positions primarily accounting for the loss. LME aluminium is expected to move between US$ 1,540 per tonne and US$ 1,600 per tonne today. As of Monday, March 23, LME aluminium cash (bid) price inched down from US$ 1580 per tonne to US$ 1536 per tonne. LME official settlement price dipped to the same amount from US$ 1580.5 per tonne. 3-months bid price and 3-months...
UC Rusal, the Global Aluminium Producer, has been operating Windalco Alumina in St Catherine has declared safety measures in relation to the spread of COVID-19. The company came out with clear communication that in order to ensure the health and safety of all employees effective 17 th March’20, employees from head office and staff who are not involved in the production process will be working from home. The rest of the operations will remain to be continued without any interruption. The company outlined that exceptions will only be made in the instance when the tasks cannot be performed without coming to the office. As per a company spokesperson: “Only those employees whose presence is indispensable to ensure the production is uninterrupted will be present at the production sites.” The...
Karel Oldenburger, General Manager, commented “If those piles have just been produced and lifted out, they have another dangling point. That is aluminium at its best.” Oldenburger has been working at Damco Aluminum Delfzijl Coöperatie, or Aldel for more than a decade. He has the experience of bankruptcies in 2013 and 2017 and the 304 melting furnaces were largely turned off. The post-bankruptcy as recent as in 2017, one of the most important employers in East Groningen seemed to be closing its doors permanently. The company will be celebrating its 40 th Anniversary next year. Production has now been scaled up to 225 ovens that are in daily use - at least for the corona crisis. A party such as Aldel, which is at the front of the chain, is now also beginning to notice the consequences. "We...
On Friday, March 20, the world’s biggest aluminium producer China Hongqiao Group announced that despite a significant drop in production, it could see a rise in net profit of 12.7 per cent in 2019. According to the group, lower production costs were a significant reason for the increase in its net profit. In contrast to RMB 5.407 billion in 2018, the net profit in 2019 came in at RMB 6.095 billion, said China Hongqiao Group during a Hong Kong stock exchange filing while warning that coronavirus could have a profound impact on global supply chains. The group’s revenue in 2019 declined by 6.7 per cent to come in at RMB 84.18 billion, along with the drop in its aluminium alloy production to 5.644 million tonnes. The company attributed the higher profit to lower purchase prices for raw...
Coal production from Jamkhani coal block is expected to take Vedanta an inch closer to its goal to reduce aluminium production cost to US$ 1,500 per tonne. Vedanta Limited had acquired the Jamkhani coal block with 220 million tonnes deposits at competitive auctions in Odisha. An increase in domestic coal production will boost power supplies, a critical input in aluminium smelting accounting for around 40 per cent of the metal production cost, and will also help Vedanta reduce imports, resulting in cost savings. <iframe width="500" height="300" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WBvFA8cngMo" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe> Srinivasan Venkatakrishnan, chief executive officer (CEO) of Vedanta Limited...
