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 German luggage manufacturer Rimowa never fails to mesmerise its patrons with its quirky innovation, and this time a bunch of colourful suitcases added to its Original aluminium collection. Inspired by the bright feathers of the scarlet ibis bird of Colombia’s and Venezuela’s tropical grasslands, and the vivid blue of the Mediterranean Sea, Rimowa’s new Original aluminium collection is now available in two fresh hues – scarlet and marine. The new line is made in the same way as Rimowa’s silver version, using a combination of anodising processes to inject directly into the suitcase’s skin to yield a result that is rich and metallic. The new shades are available in cabin, check-in and trunk plus sizes starting at all Rimowa stores. The price tag they carry is HK$8,350 (US$1,064). The...
Turkish automaker Oyak Renault will manufacture aluminium engine blocks at its plant, for the first time in Turkey, making it the only hybrid engine production facility in Europe. This was announced by the country's industry and technology minister Mustafa Varank on Oct. 23 at the factory's test production site in Bursa. The minister, in his speech said that the engines will be exported to China, Spain, and the U.K. He noted the latest technology machines had been installed in a 10,500 square meter facility for manufacturing the engine blocks. Renault has also hired more than 100 qualified engineers and operators to run the manufacturing operations. Antoine Aoun, director-general of Oyak Renault Turkey, said on the occasion: "We have completed our production center in a very short time as...
The US exports of aluminium semi-finished products (plates, sheets, bars, etc.) stood at 74,200 tonnes in July 2019, off 9.4% from last year’s total of 81,900 tonnes. Exports increased by 8.16% from June’s export volume of 68,600 tonnes and 0.54% from May’s export volume of 73,800 tonnes, according to the latest Mineral Industry Survey report from the US Geological Survey. In the first seven months of 2019, semi-finished products export reduced 17.27% or 109,000 tonnes year-on-year. The US exported 522,000 tonnes of semi-finished products in January-July 2019 as compared to 631,000 tonnes in January-July 2018. The US exports of total aluminium including scrap increased 0.41% year-on-year to stand at 245,000 tonnes in July 2019. The export volume decreased by 0.81% from June’s export...
A proposed strike by engineering workers at Aughinish Alumina refinery, which was due to take place this week, has been temporarily stopped, as the dispute is referred to the Labour Court. The suspension notice came after High Court proceedings, initiated by Murphy International Ltd (MIL) against the trade union Unite, got settled following out of court talks between the parties. MIL had filed a lawsuit in the Republic of Ireland’s High Court late last week to prevent the strike, which the company claimed could result in the cessation of the refinery. MIL secured permission to serve short notice of proceedings against Unite. The injunction application was due to be heard by the High Court today. Meanwhile, out of court talks between the legal teams from both sides resulted in the...
Senior leaders from the aluminium associations of Canada, Europe and the United States gathered at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s (OECD) Global Trade Forum in Paris, France and urged the governments for taking concrete steps toward rules-based trade. They requested for reforms in government policies to do away with practices that distort the global aluminium market. In a joint statement, Jean Simard, President & CEO of the Aluminium Association of Canada; Gerd Götz, Director General of European Aluminium; and Ryan Olsen, Vice President, Business Information and Statistics for the Aluminum Association said: “Given the extent and duration of the harm suffered by the aluminium industry, we are calling for swift, focused and decisive action on market-distorting...
As updated by Shanghai Metals Market, Inventories of aluminium billet continued to decline on the back of decent consumption. Stocks of 6063 aluminium billet across five major consumption areas in China declined 11,100 tonnes from October 17 to stand at 118,100 tonnes as of Thursday October 24, after a drop of 7,600 tonnes in the previous week. Inventories of aluminium billet in Foshan, Guangdong and Wuxi, Jiangsu stood at 64,000 tonnes and 18,900 tonnes as of Thursday, down 9,200 tonnes and 300 tonnes from 73,200 tonnes and 19,200 on October 17. Stocks in Changzhou, Jiangsu increased 300 tonnes to stand 16,000 tonnes. Aluminium billet stocks in Huzhou, Zhejiang and Nanchang, Jiangxi declined 1,000 tonnes each from October 17 to 10,000 tonnes and 9,200 tonnes. The price of aluminium alloy...
The US dollar fell against the British pound and the euro after European Union leaders delayed a decision on whether to grant Britain a three-month Brexit extension. LME base metals closed higher overnight, with the SHFE complex trading mixed. LME aluminium gained 0.44%, while SHFE aluminium rose 0.25%. Three-month LME aluminium climbed during the European trading hours, but a buildup of bearish positions prevented it from exceeding US$1,733.5 per tonne, and ended it 0.44% higher on the day at US$1,726.5 per tonne. LME aluminium is likely to trade at US$1,710-1,750 per tonne today. As on October 23, Wednesday, LME aluminium cash (bid) price stood at US$ 1711.50 per tonne, LME official settlement price stands at US$ 1712 per tonne; 3-months bid price stands at US$ 1719.50 per tonne,...
Social inventories of primary aluminium have further extended decline this week, marking the second consecutive week-on-week fall, found Shanghai Metals Market. Data shows the stocks across eight major consumption areas in China, including SHFE warrants, decreased by 34,000 tonnes from a week ago to stand at 882,000 tonnes, as of Thursday, October 24. The below chart indicates the current status of primary aluminium inventories across China in more details: October 10 was the last day when the social inventories of primary aluminium had increased in China by 8,000 tonnes on greater cargo arrival. Post that, the inventories started recording incessant drops. On last Thursday, October 17, they declined by 61,000 tonnes to come in at 916,000 tonnes. This shows the decline was higher last...
Constellium reported results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2019. For the third quarter of 2019, the company reported shipments of 395,000 tonnes, up 4% year-on-year due to higher shipments in the Packaging and Automotive Rolled Products segment, partially due to the consolidation of Bowling Green. Revenue increased by 2% to €1.5 billion, primarily due to the consolidation of Bowling Green and improved price and mix, partially offset by lower metal prices. Net income stood at €1 million, from €217 million last year. Adjusted EBITDA rose 18% to €139 million on improved results in the Packaging and Automotive Rolled Products and the Aerospace and Transportation segments. For the first nine months of 2019, shipments were up 5% YoY to 1.2 million tonnes. Revenue came in at €4.5...
Beijing, in the late last week, reportedly issued the second set of metal scrap import quotas for the fourth quarter of 2019, sharply reducing the permissible quantity. As per the report, China’s Solid Waste and Chemical Management Centre will allow 44,935 tonnes more of 7602000090 aluminium scrap into its ports during the fourth quarter, bringing the total allowable imports to 77,875 tonnes. This amount is significantly below the 274,955 tonnes of imported aluminium scrap allowed into the Middle Kingdom in the previous quarter. These quotas are for delivery to the ports of Ningbo, Nanhai and Nansha. The decline in import quotas is estimated to continue to affect the country’s aluminium scrap market, especially thanks to weak inventories and stable orders by secondary aluminium producers....
Hydro released results for the third quarter of 2019. Underlying EBIT for Bauxite & Alumina decreased by 30% compared to the third quarter of 2018. The Underlying EBIT stood at NOK 481 million in Q3 2019, down from NOK 685 million in Q3 2018. But EBIT was up 16% quarter-on-quarter. “The results were driven by a decrease in the realized alumina sales price partly offset by positive effects from increased production following the lifting of the production embargo on May 20, 2019,” Hydro said, “A milestone was reached in September, when the final embargoes on Alunorte were lifted, allowing us to resume installation and commissioning activities at the new and modern bauxite residue deposit area, DRS2. Ramp-up is proceeding successfully, and we expect to reach 85-95 percent capacity...
According to the global export-import data, the export of aluminium bar rods and profiles by Malaysia is expected to grow this year by 58 per cent to stand at 84,069 tonnes. In 2018 as well, the export volume had grown by about 44 per cent to come in at 53,253 tonnes. Only in 2017, the volume was year-on-year down to 37,001 tonnes, compared with 69,236 tonnes in 2016, showed the international data. After 2016, Vietnam is expected to be the top importer of aluminium bar rods and profiles from Malaysia this year by securing 22,616 tonnes. In 2017 and 2018, Australia was the leading export destination for Malaysia. In 2017, Australia had imported 10,116 tonnes, while that in 2018 13,428 tonnes, up 33 per cent year-on-year. In 2016, Vietnam had sourced 48,757 tonnes of aluminium bar rods and...
KinsBrae Packaging Inc. in Ontario has launched the PortaVino aluminum wine bottle at the Ontario Craft Brewers Conference in Niagara Falls. The KinsBrae PortaVino is a personal size, resealable aluminium bottle for wine, which makes wine drinking fun. Its elegant shape and convenient 250 ml volume, provides perfect versatility for the on-the-go lifestyles of a new generation of wine drinkers. PortaVino bottles can be easily slipped into a handbag or backpack for a day at the pool, golf-course, beach or spa or for casual home parties. “Wine in cans is rapidly gaining popularity with annual sales projected to reach $70 million in 2019 in the U.S.,” said Shawn Bonnick, President of KinsBrae Packaging. “As a proud, family-owned Ontario company, we’re very excited to help Canada’s leading...
Hydro reported an underlying EBIT of NOK 1,366 million in the third quarter of 2019, down from NOK 2,676 million in the third quarter of 2018. The decline was due to lower aluminium and alumina prices, partly offset by lower raw material costs and positive effects from higher production in Brazil. President and CEO Hilde Merete Aasheim said, “It is encouraging to see costs coming down in our upstream business, combined with forceful restructuring and optimization measures downstream. Amid challenging markets, it is more important than ever to focus our efforts on what we control ourselves. I am therefore pleased to report progress on our new and ambitious improvement programs, which is an important enabler for our profitability and sustainability agenda.” Underlying EBIT for Primary Metal...
We are glad to share the performance metrics of our second quarterly e-magazine “Aluminium Industry 4.0: Drivers & Change Makers” . Not even a month yet since the magazine launched, but we are already overwhelmed with stupendous responses arriving from every nook and corner of the world. And thanks to the power of digital media where every outcome is measurable and transparent, we are delighted to find how our magazine has created a buzz over the internet. We are extremely glad to inform you that the magazine has already reached 19,592 viewers across 92 countries and achieved 105,472 hits in total. The average time spent by a user on the magazine is 9 minutes and 16 seconds, with a direct reach of 1498. Besides, it has earmarked a notable performance on social media. While on Facebook, it...
The London Metal Exchange's alumina contract has started trading last week and multiple lots of 50 tonnes were traded on Thursday 17 October 2019 at US$284 per tonne for November 2019 and US$294 per tonne on the January 2020 contract. The contracts were settled on a basket of CRU's alumina price, the CRU-API, and Fastmarkets' FOB Australia alumina index. A press release from CRU has confirmed that. CRU's Alumina Price Index (API, Australia FOB) edged down to US$277.5 per tonne on the same day. The liquidity in the physical market was driven by alumina spot cargos sold to China. The latest physical market transactions involved two 30,000 tonnes Australian cargos sold at US$302.00 per tonne and US$303 tonne CIF China respectively. The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) 2020 has ruled...
The US dollar continued to rise against the pound and euro as uncertainty spread ahead of the British parliament’s vote on the Withdrawal Agreement Bill which will shine light on when and how Britain will exit the EU. The dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of other currencies, climb by 0.21% and ended at 97.53. LME base metals and SHFE complex mostly fell overnight. LME aluminium dropped 0.29% and SHFE aluminium grew 0.07%. A rallied US dollar index depressed aluminium prices as three-month LME aluminium extended its previous decline and ended down 0.29% at US$1,719 per tonne. There is limited upward room in LME aluminium, which may trade between US$1,705-1,730 per tonne. As on October 22, Tuesday, LME aluminium cash (bid) price stood at US$ 1707 per tonne, LME...
According to a report on October 23, the global miner Rio Tinto Limited has flagged a possibility to close production at its New Zealand’s Aluminium Smelter (NZAS), citing weakness in the aluminium market and high energy costs. NZAS is a joint venture between Rio Tinto (79.36%) and Sumitomo Chemical Company Limited (20.64%), with almost 1000 employees at the present. The company said it would conduct a strategic review of the smelter to determine the operation’s ongoing viability and competitive position. It will even explore options and try to identify economically viable solutions to find a pathway to profitability and for that, it said it would hold discussions with the Government of New Zealand and energy providers. By 2020, the review is expected to be concluded. “We expect the short...
