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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The social inventories of primary aluminium in China continued to fall over the weekend, found Shanghai Metals Market. Steady consumption in Guangdong and lower arrival of stocks there contributed to more than half of the decline. According to the data showed, eight consumption areas in China, including SHFE warrants, decreased by 37,000 tonnes from Thursday, December 12, to 611,000 tonnes, as of Monday, December 16. Week-on-week, the inventories are down by 61,000 tonnes, as on last Monday, December 9, the inventories were at 672,000 tonnes. In Wuxi, the inventories over the week have declined by 8,000 tonnes to stand at 198,000 tonnes, while that in Shanghai, Nanhai, and Gongyi have inched down by 11,000 tonnes, 32,000 tonnes and 5,000 tonnes to stand at 116,000 tonnes, 136,000 tonnes...
Shanghai Metals Market survey found Chinese secondary aluminium producers operating rates continued to increase in November amidst rising demand from downstream automakers at year-end. According to the data, the operating rates across Chinese secondary aluminium producers rose to 62.57 per cent in November, up 0.05 percentage point month on month and 1.05 percentage points over the year. In October, the operating rates were 61.52 per cent after recording a rise of 0.83 percentage point from September and 4,71 percentage points from October 2018. Large-scale secondary aluminium producers contributed to most of the rise in operating rate. Also, improved orders from carmarkers boosted operating rates at some major producers of secondary aluminium to the highest level this year. However, the...
ASI is pleased to welcome Sunberg Limited as a new Downstream Supporter member, bringing the total number of ASI members working toward a responsible aluminium value chain to 108. Sunberg Limited, based in United Kingdom, started exports of recyclable metal 20 years ago from Russia, Europe and USA for processing by small to medium sized industries in South East Asia. As a passionate, dedicated promoter of recycling and a belief in the need for a Circular economy, Sunberg soon became a trusted partner of its clients in managing the entire supply chain with procurement, logistics and finance of not just Aluminium scrap, but also of ingots as finished goods. Efficiency, reliability and accuracy of contractual obligations became the hallmark of the company. With fast changing economic...
Mercury Marine received the Sustainable Process Award from the Wisconsin Sustainable Business Council (WSBC) at the Sustainable Business Awards Ceremony. The award recognized Mercury Marine for several sustainable practices in the company’s process of using aluminum for manufacturing outboard marine engine blocks. “We’re certainly not the only manufacturer to use aluminum in building engine blocks but, as this award attests, Mercury does stand out in how we strive to be environmentally responsible and derive the maximum sustainable benefit from our use of this material,” said Scott Louks, Mercury sustainability manager. According to Louks, who received the award at this evening's ceremony, Mercury’s sustainable process for using aluminum includes the following benefits: Mercury uses only...
Continued from Part I Almost all major aluminium producers are expanding into downstream and independent semi-finished aluminium projects are coming up to cater to the growing aluminium demand in recent years. The steady growth in aluminium demand was mostly driven by automakers’ focus on making lightweight, fuel-efficient vehicles, which can adhere to stricter carbon emission standards leading to material substitution, i.e. aluminium instead of steel. It was further enhanced by growing expansion of high speed transport systems and a shift towards electro-mobility. Though currently the automotive market is down because of the slowdown in global economy, China is forecasted to produce 35 million vehicles by 2025 and electric vehicles would account for about seven million or 20% of the...
According to a recent report, the Aluminium Association of India has urged the government to raise basic customs duty across all aluminium products in a range of 2.5 per cent to 5 per cent for restricting metal scrap imports. The association suggests the duty to be incorporated in the upcoming Union Budget for the financial year 2020-21. The association has pointed out that despite sufficient domestic capacity of scrap, India imports 60 per cent of its consumption, primarily from China, Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and West Asia. “These countries support their aluminium industry and provide concessions/subsidies with low interest rate loans, cheaper power tariffs, preferential gas allocation, raw materials availability, tax benefits and export tax incentives bringing...
The Lanjigarh alumina refinery of Vedanta Limited received the Greentech Safety Awards 2019 at the 18th Annual Greentech Occupational Health, Safety and Disaster Management Conference for exceptional performance in the field of safety at the workplace. Mr. Misbah Uddin Khan, Head – Health – safety-Environment, Vedanta Lanjigarh unit received the platinum award under the Mines & Metal category, organised by Greentech Foundation. Mr. Rakesh Mohan, Chief Operating Officer – Vedanta Lanjigarh said: “Our motto of achieving Zero Harm is the driving force that ensures safety of all. This accolade is a recognition of our relentless efforts towards safety of all our community, associate partners, employees and families. With safety as our foremost pillar, Vedanta is continuously striving for a...
Leaders from the domestic aluminium industry met with policymakers in Washington including Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, White House Director of Trade and Manufacturing Policy Peter Navarro and members of Congress to discuss some trade issues. They also discussed U.S-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) and applauded the administration and the Congress for moving the agreement forward. “The aluminium industry in the United States relies on free, open and fair trade within North America, which has supported three consecutive years of historically high demand for aluminium within the region,” said Lauren Wilk, vice president for policy and international trade at the Aluminum Association. “However, we also emphasized the need for effective trade monitoring and enforcement, including the...
Greece is the third-largest destination for Turkey’s bauxite exports after the United States and China. With the year-on-year growth in Turkey’s total bauxite exports, the country’s exports to Greece have also been found growing over the years. According to the international trade, Turkey’s bauxite exports to Greece in 2019 is likely to come in at 143,378 tonnes, after recording a rise of 16 per cent from 123,427 tonnes in 2018. In 2017, the export amount by Turkey was 85,020 tonnes, which indicates the fact that the country in 2018 had witnessed a significant year-on-year growth of 45 per cent in its bauxite exports to Greece. Along with the growth in the export volume, Turkey’s earnings from bauxite exports to Greece have also been growing, and 2019 is expected to be of no exception....
Norsk Hydro on December 12, 2019, signed a USD 1,600 million revolving multi-currency credit facility with margin linked to reduction target for greenhouse gas emissions. The revolving credit facility will be available for general corporate purposes. The facility carries a five-year tenor with two one-year extension options. This will replace Hydro’s undrawn USD 1,700 million revolving credit facility signed in 2013. “This is a confirmation of the strong relationship between Hydro and our core banks, and the process and terms concluded, reflect trust built over many years. This is a good example of the close link between profitability and sustainability, and I am pleased that the bank syndicate is supporting our new climate roadmap to cut emissions by 30% by 2030," said Executive Vice...
China Association Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM), the country’s top auto industry body, expects automobile sales in China to slip 2 per cent to 25.32 million units in 2020. Xu Haidong, assistant secretary general of CAAM, said at a conference on Thursday, December 12, that China’s auto market, which is the world’s biggest, is unlikely to rebound until 2022. He also said that during 2023-2025, the market is expected to see an annual expansion of about 4 per cent. Earlier this week, data from CAAM showed that China’s auto sales in the first 11 months of the year fell 9.1 per cent year on year to come in at 23.11 million units. For new energy vehicles, production and sales came in at 110,000 and 95,000 units in November, down 36.9% and 43.7% year on year, respectively. Pure electric...
The US dollar dropped to its lowest in more than five months against its rivals, reversing gains from Thursday’s rally, as risk appetite returned on reports that China and the US are close to the signing of a “phase one” trade deal. LME base metals drifted higher on Thursday. Aluminium advanced 0.7%. SHFE aluminium dipped 0.1%. Three-month LME aluminium crept up to its highest in nearly two weeks at US$1,779.5 per tonne on Thursday, before it finished the trading day 0.68% stronger at US$1,771.5 per tonne. The unwinding of short positions primarily accounted for the gains. As on December 12, Thursday, LME aluminium cash (bid) price stood at US$ 1754.50 per tonne, LME official settlement price stands at US$ 1755 per tonne; 3-months bid price stands at US$ 1765 per tonne, 3-months offer...
Hindalco Industries Limited has reportedly reduced the prices of aluminium ingots, billets and wire rods for the second time this week. With effect from Wednesday, the prices are cut by more than 1 per cent. While the ingot price is reduced from INR143,250 per tonne, as on last Friday, December 6, to INR 141,500 per tonne, the prices of billets and wire rods are down from INR 149850 per tonne to 148100 per tonne and from INR 153850 per tonne to INR 152100 per tonne, respectively. Hindalco generally links its products’ prices with those of the metal in international markets. The three-month futures of aluminium are up nearly 3 per cent on the London Metal Exchange so far in the current quarter. In August and September, the aluminium prices had recorded a fall on LME. The aluminium...
A00 aluminium ingot price ended the week lower at RMB 14010 per tonne on Friday, 13 December 2019, representing a drop of RMB 70 per tonne or 0.50 per cent from Thursday’s price of RMB 14080 per tonne. The price is expected to range at RMB 13990-14030 per tonne. Spot aluminium contract is likely to be traded at a discount of RMB 20 per tonne to a premium of RMB 20 per tonne. Source: Shanghai Metals Market Chongqing witnessed the highest drop in aluminium ingot price today. Chongqing price came in at RMB 14000 per tonne, down by RMB 110 per tonne. The average price is likely to move within a range of RMB 13980-14020 per tonne. In Foshan and Wuxi, aluminium ingot price declined by RMB 70 per tonne and RMB 50 per tonne to stand at RMB 14000 per tonne and RMB 14010 per tonne. Their average...
Novelis, the world leader in aluminium rolling and recycling, emphasized its commitment towards shaping the future for mobility at today’s Volvo Cars Sustainability Dialogue 2019 in Gothenburg, Sweden by highlighting the closed-loop recycling system it implemented with Volvo Cars in 2019. Through the closed-loop system, the companies work together to take back Volvo’s production scrap which allows for significant CO 2 saving and minimizes the primary aluminium input. This reduces the CO 2 footprint of the aluminium sheet delivered to Volvo Cars by 78% and secures that their production scrap remains in the value-chain and is transformed in the same high-quality products infinitely. Closing the loop also involved introducing greener logistics: Shifting transportation of the aluminium sheet...
The Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry of Indonesia has lowered its projections for nickel and bauxite smelter construction by 2022 due to shortfalls in investment. Indonesia’s government in September expedited the nickel ore export ban by two years to January 2020 from 2022 as part of its efforts to boost expansion of a local smelting industry. The government may consider accelerating an export ban on bauxite and other mineral items, depending on the scale of investment. Under the current rules, exports of bauxite are allowed till January 11, 2022. The export ban, which was in place since 2014, was revoked in 2017 for a period of five years (until 2022) to give time to domestic miners to build their smelters to process minerals such as nickel, bauxite and copper. Indonesia’s Minister...
Singapore exports substantial amount of aluminium scrap globally and has a huge demand in various countries in India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Malaysia, and Thailand. India has been the top importer of aluminium scrap from Singapore. According to recent estimates, Singapore’s exports to India stood at 40564 tonnes in 2018, an increase of 224.23% or 28053 tonnes from 2017’s exports of 12511 tonnes and 937.18% or 36653 tonnes from 2016’s exports of 3911 tonnes. This trend is likely to continue in 2019. Export to India is estimated to rise to 57222 tonnes this year, with a year-on-year increase of 41.07% or 16658 tonnes. According to recent estimates, Singapore exported about 7352 tonnes of aluminium scrap in 2016. In 2017 and 2018, the amount inched up by 169.02% and 184.19% year-on-year to...
The European aluminium industry is well-equipped to support the European Green Deal announced by the EU on November 11. European Aluminium, the ambassador of the industry said in a press release that the aluminium industry has already designed a bold strategy that can cut CO2 emissions in primary aluminium smelting by up to 70% by 2050 and save an extra 1500 million tonnes of CO2 emissions through increased recycling. The industry even plans to save an extra 1500 million tonnes of CO2 emissions through recycling. “The European aluminium industry wants to drive the deep transformative policies and practices that are needed to realise the carbon-neutral and circular economy in Europe. The industry is already delivering on its aim to realise the industry’s greenhouse gas reduction potential...
