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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South Africa’s exports of total aluminium (crude metal and alloys and aluminium semi-finished products) to the US stood at 39,400 tonnes in the first half of 2019, indicating a drop of 59.47 per cent from 97,200 tonnes in the first half of 2019. Aluminium exports from South Africa to the US edged lower by 25.39% year-on-year in June 2019, as updated by US Census Bureau. Exports came in at 7,260 tonnes as compared to 9,730 tonnes in June 2018. But aluminium exports increased 53.49 per cent from May’s exports volume of 4,730 tonnes. South Africa exported 6,760 tonnes of crude metal and alloys to the US in January-June 2019 as compared to 69,500 tonnes in January-June 2018. Exports recorded 62,740 tonnes or 90.27 per cent fall year-on-year. Crude metal and alloys export stood at 2,290 tonnes...
Aluminium Bahrain B.S.C (Alba), on course to become the world’s largest aluminium smelter with Line 6, has announced the promotions of two members following the company’s Board meeting. Bryan Harris has been promoted to the Chief Financial Officer on 25 September 2019. Qualified Chartered Accountant Bryan has over 25 years of experience in management roles. Bryan joined Alba in 2019 as the Chief Internal Auditor and Risk Officer and was appointed as the Acting Chief Financial Officer in December 2018. He serves as a Director at the Board of Aluminium Bahrain US, INC. and AlbaCap Insurance Ltd. (subsidiaries of Alba). Khalid Turani has been promoted to Chief Internal Audit and Risk Management Officer. Khalid has 19 years of experience in Audit, Risk, Compliance and Ethics. He joined Alba...
The European Aluminium Foil Association (EAFA) today announced the Alufoil Trophy 2020 judging panel, made up of experts from all parts of the aluminium foil and closure sector, will be led by Veith Behrmann, Group Packaging Manager at Nestlé Nespresso in Switzerland. He will act as the external judge and offer insights and opinions from an end user perspective. Veith Behrmann brings 35 years of experience in the packaging sector to the panel. After positions with machinery manufacturers TOSS and Rovema, he joined Nestlé in 1988, working in Switzerland and then Japan, developing key packaging technologies. He joined Nespresso in 2006 as project manager new packaging technology before moving to his current role. The announcement of Alufoil Trophy 2020 winners coincides with interpack in...
The proposed acquisition of Aleris by Novelis has been approved by the European Commission under the EU Merger Regulation on condition that Novelis would sell Aleris' aluminium automotive body sheets business in Europe. “To address the Commission's competition concerns, the parties offered to divest Aleris' entire aluminium automotive body sheet business in Europe, including its production plant in Duffel, Belgium. In order to preserve its viability, the Duffel plant's divestiture will also include other products currently manufactured at that plant,” The European Commission said in a statement. Novelis, a subsidiary of Hindalco Industries Limited, is a global manufacturer of semi-finished aluminium products and recycler of aluminium. It operates several manufacturing facilities across...
According to a recent report, Turquois Yachts has reportedly started construction on a Vallicelli-designed 75 metre superyacht. The expected delivery time is late 2021. The vessel is built from a steel hull and aluminium superstructure with an exterior designed by A Vallicelli Yacht Design featuring “simple sleek lines” and a “powerful dynamic look”. A statement from the yard said: “With a profile more reminiscent of sporty sailing, the low angle of the transom slope and the very long forward overhang, make this 75m yacht appear long, slender, and elegant despite her interior volume.” The interior, on the other hand, has been designed by H2 Yacht Design, with key features including a full 14.2 metre beam beach club, which opens aft to the swimming pool and has platforms to the sea on both...
The Chinese government issued a new scrap metal import quota on 23rd September that approved a total of about 70,000 tonnes of copper, aluminium and ferrous scrap arrivals for Q4 2019. As reported by Argus Media, China Solid Waste and Chemicals Management approved a combined 66,368 tonnes of copper, aluminium and ferrous scrap for delivery to ports in south and southeast China. The quota for aluminium scrap, with tariff code 7602000090 stood at 32,940 tonnes. The aluminium scrap quota is for delivery to the ports of Ningbo, Nanhai and Nansha. The previous quotas were announced on 20 June, 10 July and 14 August. China issued the 11th batch of import quotas of 11,290 tonnes for newly restricted high-grade aluminium scrap on August 14 increasing the total volume of import quotas to 372,476...
Vietnam started producing alumina in the year 2011 in the Central Highlands. Tan Rai alumina refinery worth $460 million, invested by state mining group Vinacomin started operation in February 2011 and export in March. Now, Vietnam has become one of the emerging alumina producing hubs on the shores of the South China Sea, with an increase in its offshore alumina sales over the last three years. Since, Vietnam’s lion share of total exports go to India, let us here analyse how it has been performing over the years. According to the international export-import data, Vietnam in 2019 is expected to ship 865,433 tonnes of aluminium raw material to India, up 26.15 per cent from 685,995 tonnes in 2018. In fact, as per the available data, Vietnam’s alumina exports to India had been recording a...
Scientists from Sweden’s Chalmers University of Technology and Slovenia’s National Institute of Chemistry have claimed to have created aluminium batteries with higher energy density and wide renewable energy storage applications. Conventional aluminium batteries use aluminium anode and graphene cathode. The scientists used anthraquinone, instead of graphene for the cathode in the new device, which has increased the energy density twofold from conventional aluminium devices. In the paper “ Concept and electrochemical mechanism of an Al metal anode ‒ organic cathode battery” , published in Energy Storage Materials, the researchers explained that anthraquinone enables storage of positive charge-carriers from the electrolyte, which helps in boosting the energy density two times the...
The US dollar held onto three-week highs against a basket of its rivals on Monday. LME base metals closed mixed on Monday and aluminium dropped further. LME aluminium continued its downturn yesterday. Three-month LME aluminium recovered from a low and finished 0.12% higher at US$1,741 per tonne last Friday night. However, it plunged yesterday and closed Monday’s trading at US$ 1722.50 per tonne. LME aluminium may fall to US$1,698 per tonne this week, as suggested by its wave pattern and a projection analysis. Resistance is seen at US$1,748, a break above which may lead to a gain into the range of US$1,764-$1,780 per tonne. As on September 30, Monday, LME aluminium cash (bid) price stood at US$ 1703 per tonne, LME official settlement price stands at US$ 1703.50 per tonne; 3-months bid...
Headquartered in Stockdorf, Germany, the automotive supplier Webasto has reportedly begun the production of battery packs at its Schierling site, Regensburg district, for electric vehicles of a European bus manufacturer. As per the report, the company will also start manufacturing a self-developed standard-battery system for commercial vehicles in the Regensburg district from the beginning of 2020. Webasto said it already invested eleven million euros in the development of this multi-product line. “We have successfully entered this market with our innovative future mobility products and the first buses with Webasto batteries will shortly take to the streets of major European cities,” says CEO Holger Engelmann. Three years ago, Webasto decided to diversify its business into the field of...
Ožujsko, a Croatian beer brand for lager beer, has partnered with Ball Corporation to introduce a collection of limited-edition cans. The limited-edition cans are created to raise awareness of endangered species in Croatia. Ožujsko’s new range utilizes Ball’s Thermochronic Ink and Dynamark technology on fully recyclable 500ml standard aluminium cans. Ivan Šuvar, consumer excellence director at Zagrebačka Pivovara, said: “Cans are becoming increasingly popular for packaging as they are fully recyclable. Using packaging that is sustainable matches our company values as we want to make a positive change. We chose to use our popular brand to voice awareness for endangered species. We partnered with Ball to create our cans to reflect the cause and raise awareness with consumers. We hope to...
Hydro has expanded its research and development capabilities with the launch of an aluminium research lab in Finspång, Sweden. The Extrusion Test Center will allow Hydro to “test new types of aluminium alloys and their extrudability for eventual use in applications that are innovative and which can help customers reduce their carbon footprint.” Work on the building and installation of the machinery was completed in August. Egil Hogna, EVP responsible for Hydro’s Extruded Solutions business area said: “Research and application development has always been one of our strong points as a supplier of innovative aluminium solutions, and with sustainability now the key word in our industry, we need to speed these efforts to meet market needs.” The center has a new aluminium extrusion press and...
Primary aluminium inventories in China extended their declines over the weekend as downstream consumers stockpiled for the week-long National Day holiday. Shanghai Metals Market data showed that social inventories of primary aluminium across eight consumption areas in China, including SHFE warrants, stood at 894,000 tonnes as of Monday, September 30, a drop of 45,000 tonnes from 939,000 tonnes as of Thursday, September 26. The chart below indicates the current status of primary aluminium inventories across all major China markets: Primary aluminium stocks in Wuxi, Jiangsu dropped 29,000 tonnes from Thursday September 26 to 254,000 tonnes as of Monday, 30 September 2019. Inventories in Shanghai, Nanhai, Guangdong, and Chongqing declined by 3,000 tonnes from Thursday to 176,000 tonnes,...
Two congressmen on the House tax-writing committee have requested Trump administration to exempt Israel from steel and aluminium tariffs. Republican Brad Schneider, D-Ill. and David Schweikert, R-Ariz., requested Robert Lighthizer, the U.S. trade representative, in a letter Wednesday to remove Israel from the tariff list and add to a list of exempted countries like South Korea, Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Canada and Mexico. They argued in the letter that since Israel exports a tiny portion of U.S. total imports of steel and aluminium — 0.0005 per cent and 0.12 per cent exactly, the exemption will not impact the domestic aluminium producers. “While these numbers may seem small, the fact remains that the U.S. is a major trading partner for Israel and any disruption in the economic...
According to the preliminary estimates from Aluminum Association, aluminium demand in the United States and Canada (shipments by domestic producers plus imports) totalled an estimated 7.5 million tonnes from January to July 2019, an increase of 1.3 per cent over YTD 2018. Demand for semi-fabricated (mill) products in the United States and Canada totalled 5.4 million pounds though July 2019, up 2.0 per cent YoY. Demand for semis stood at an estimated 765,663 tonnes in July, up 1.2 per cent over July 2018. Shipments of aluminium sheet and plate stood at 429,098 tonnes in July, up 2.5 per cent YoY. Extruded product shipments declined 1.2 per cent YoY to 220,446 tonnes. Estimated shipments of aluminium ingot for castings, exports and other uses stood at 239,950 tonnes in July, up 4.2 per cent...
Brazil imported 10,900 tonnes of aluminium scrap from the US in the first six months of 2019, from 6,700 tonnes imported in the first six months of 2018. This records an increase of 4,200 tonnes or 62.69% year-on-year, according to the latest Mineral Industry Survey report from the US Geological Survey. In June, aluminium scrap imports stood 6.63% lower than the same period last year. Imports from the US decreased from 1,660 tonnes in June 2018 to 1,550 tonnes in June 2019. Brazil’s imports of aluminium scrap from the US decreased12.92% from May’s import volume of 1,780 tonnes. Brazil’s imports of total aluminium including scrap from the US came in at 15,500 tonnes in the first half of 2019, 82.35% higher than the corresponding period of 2018. Brazil had exported 8,500 tonnes of aluminium...
Aluminium Bahrain (Alba) announced it will establish the first-of-its-kind Spent Pot Lining (SPL) Treatment Plant in the GCC and Bahrain. The company will start operations at its new plant by the first quarter of 2021. The plant will have a capacity to treat 30,000 to 35,000 tonnes of SPL a year. A result of the co-operative efforts between Alba and Bahrain’s Supreme Council for Environment (SCE), the SPL Treatment Plant is in line with National Waste Management Strategy led by HH Shaikh Abdulla bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Personal Representative of His Majesty King of Bahrain and President of the Supreme Council for Environment, Alba said. With the establishment of SPL plant, the company will be developing a value-creating and sustainable solution for the treatment of SPL with zero-waste....
The US dollar held onto three-week highs against a basket of its rivals on Friday, supported by quarter-end rebalancing flows and after the release of mixed economic data. LME base metals closed mixed on Friday. LME aluminium inched up 0.1%, while SHFE aluminium shed 0.3%. Three-month LME aluminium recovered from a low of US$1,721.5 per tonne and finished 0.12% higher at US$1,741 per tonne on Friday night. The contract continued to pare losses from the previous week and is likely to trade at US$1,730-1,780 per tonne today. As on September 27, Friday, LME aluminium cash (bid) price stood at US$ 1712 per tonne, LME official settlement price stands at US$ 1713 per tonne; 3-months bid price stands at US$ 1733 per tonne, 3-months offer price is US$ 1733.50 per tonne; Dec 20 bid price stands at...
