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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According to a recent report, Alcoa Corporation is conducting VR training for its employees to train them for high-risk tasks at its alumina refineries in Western Australia. The guided training module replicates an environment of Alcoa’s refinery sub-station where the trainees are surrounded by equipment, sound, and personal protective equipment (PPE) that are found in real in the workplace. The module demonstrates how to safely and correctly isolate electrical switches to avoid arc flash incidents. Besides, Alcoa has incorporated free-play environments which include events and risks to mitigate, replicating what could occur in real life. According to Alcoa’s Pinjarra refinery manager Mark Hodgson, this step is taken for bringing in a change in the way training is usually delivered at...
Primary aluminium inventories in China fell for a fifth consecutive week, as downstream consumers stockpiled for the week-long National Day holiday. Shanghai Metals Market data showed that stocks of primary aluminium across eight consumption areas in China, including SHFE warrants, dropped 27,000 tonnes from a week ago to 939,000 tonnes as of Thursday September 26, after a decline of 6,000 tonnes in the prior week. The chart below indicates the current status of primary aluminium inventories across all major China markets: Primary aluminium stocks in Wuxi, Jiangsu and Shanghai dropped 14,000 tonnes and 7,000 tonnes from Thursday September 19 to 283,000 tonnes and 179,000 tonnes as of Thursday September 26. Inventories in Nanhai, Guangdong stood at 262,000 tonnes, a decrease of 5,000...
According to Shanghai Metals Market, the inventories of aluminium billet in China have recorded a fall this week after straight four weeks of increase. Data shows the stocks of 6063 aluminium billet across five major consumption areas are standing at 112,400 tonnes after declining by 700 tonnes, as of Thursday, September 26. On last Thursday, September 19, the billet inventories were at 113,100 tonnes after rising by some 6,000 tonnes week-on-week. The chart below indicates the current status of aluminium billet inventories across major Chinese markets in more details: The inventories in Foshan, Guangdong have dropped by 3,300 tonnes from last Thursday to stand at 52,000 tonnes, while that in Wuxi, Jiangsu and Changzhou, Jiangsu have plunged by 400 tonnes and 1,000 tonnes to come in at...
Vedanta Limited’s Lanjigarh unit has won the ‘Excellent Energy Efficient Unit’ award during the 20th National Award for Excellence in Energy Management 2019, organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). “The unit achieved its best process efficiency in FY19 and registered lowest energy consumption in the refinery’s history. This resulted in the lowest greenhouse gas (GHG) emission in Lanjgarh unit’s history, in the process creating a global benchmark for a coal-fired refinery,” it said. Rakesh Mohan, COO – Vedanta, Lanjigarh unit said, “The award bears testimony to some of our advanced energy efficiency practices aimed at reducing Specific Energy Consumption (SEC) and cost. Vedanta is committed to uphold sustainable practices in its operation with the highest energy-efficient...
The US dollar rose to a two-week high of 99.06 against a basket of currencies on Wednesday after the launch of a formal impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump, while the political uncertainty added to worries about economies strained by the Sino-US trade row. LME aluminium dropped and SHFE aluminium fell 0.2%. The load-up of short positions knocked three-month LME aluminium below moving averages to a three-week low of US$1,750 per tonne on Wednesday night, before the contract closed 0.57% lower at US$1,752.5 per tonne. Poor demand overseas and a stronger US dollar will keep LME aluminium weak in the short run. The contract is expected to hover between US$1,750-1,800 per tonne today. As on September 25, Wednesday, LME aluminium cash (bid) price stood at US$ 1735 per tonne, LME...
Extending the decline by RMB 90 per tonne on Thursday, September 26, the A00 aluminium ingot price has come in at RMB 14,190 per tonne, found Shanghai Metals Market. This marks the second decline in a row after three consecutive rises until Tuesday, September 24. The average prices are expected to range between RMB 14,170 per tonne and RMB 14,210 per tonne, with spot contract to be traded at a premium price of RMB 20-60 per tonne. Since the drop in ingot price has touched upon all the major Chinese cities today, the price in Shenyang, Wuxi, Hangzhou, and Chongqing has climbed down by RMB 110 per tonne and RMB 100 per tonne to stand at RMB 14,170 per tonne, RMB 14,180 per tonne, and RMB 14,210 per tonne, respectively. In Linyi and Tianjin also, the price has come in at RMB 14,210 per tonne...
According to a statement issued by the Chairman of Alba’s Board of Directors, Shaikh Daij Bin Salman Bin Daij Al Khalifa during Q3 Board meeting on Wednesday 25 September 2019, Alba’s Line 6 expansion is nearing completion and will soon start production. With the completion of the expansion Aluminium Bahrain B.S.C (Alba) would become the world’s largest aluminium smelter based on capacity. The chairman also highlighted the safety performance of the Alba smelter. “I congratulate all Alba, employees and contractors, as we have made history by achieving an outstanding Safety milestone of more than 11 million working-hours without Lost Time Injury (LTI). This Safety score endorses our overarching objective of ‘Think Safety First and Always’,” he added. The meeting also approved the 2020...
HUECK Middle East Aluminium Systems, one of the leading and most trusted aluminium solutions system providers, has showcased its latest products & solutions for the façade industry at the Windows, Doors & Facades Event in Dubai. 2019 edition of Windows, Doors & Facades (WDF) Event is open, until Thursday 26 September. HUECK Middle East Aluminium Systems has also displayed a new range of sliding systems at the HUECK stand, located at stand no: A201 at Sheikh Rashid Hall. The company said one of the major highlights of its participation this year is ‘Silent Air,’ a window system that reduces the noise while maintaining the ventilation system. Modar Al Mekdad, Managing Partner, HUECK Middle East, said: “Since the launch of HUECK Middle East’s operations last December, we have established...
Ahead of a key bilateral meeting between the U.S. and Japan, Japanese foreign minister Toshimitsu Motegi said trade talks will bring peace mind for the automakers and farmers. Motegi is likely to meet U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer ahead of a summit between President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to discuss trade relations between both the countries. Trump and Abe are expected to secure a deal on farm tariffs and digital trade when they meet in New York this week. They have not divulged full details on the trade talks. The discussion is also likely to cover issues related to auto export. Motegi said that he would insist on a written assurance that Trump would not impose tariffs on auto exports from Japan to the U.S.. However, the final results of this week’s...
According to China’s General Administration of Customs data released on Monday September 23, China’s imports of alumina stood at 120,000 tonnes in August, a jump of 848.4 per cent from the same period a year earlier. But the imports declined by 40 per cent from 200,000 tonnes in July 2019. Alumina imports in the first eight months of 2019 stood 71.8 per cent higher than the same period last year. China imported 640,000 tonnes of alumina in January-August 2019, Customs data showed. On the export side, China exported 3,555 tonnes of alumina last month, a decrease of 88 per cent year-on-year. On a month-on-month comparison, alumina exports dropped 19.5 per cent. In the first eight months of this year, exports reduced by 49.3 compared with the same period last year. Total exports stood at...
RUSAL, a leading global aluminium producer has announced its plan to enter into a new five-year USD 750 million Sustainability Linked Pre-Export Finance (PXF) facility. It is for the first time such a syndicated facility is arranged by international commercial banks in Russia. The proceeds of the facility will be used to partly refinance the principal outstanding under the existing up to USD 2 billion pre-export finance facility that was drawn in May 2017. “This sustainability linked Pre-Export Finance facility is further proof that the Company is at the forefront of the projects that are aimed at cutting down the world’s carbon footprint. We are glad to see the appreciation of the Company’s comprehensive sustainability initiatives from the banking community. For us this transaction is...
With the increasing demand for aluminium cans in the packaging industry, due to proficiency in preserving quality and flavour of contents, the cans export from Poland is estimated to rise in 2019 by about 3.32 per cent. CANPACK Group based in Poland, which is already one of the leading manufacturers in the beverage packaging industry in Central and Eastern Europe, is striving to further expand its production to cash on the optimistic aluminium cans market. {newsStudioGallery} According to a report in September 2019, CANPACK Group is setting a new factory in the Czech Republic, which will boost the company’s overall production to 25 billion units per year. The Czech Republic is also an important importer of aluminium cans from Poland, in addition to the Netherlands. In 2017, Poland’s...
The US dollar weakened on Tuesday as Democratic lawmakers called for an impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump. The dollar index was down 0.3% to 98.33. LME base metals traded lower on Tuesday. LME Aluminium dropped 1.3% and SHFE aluminium lost 0.2%. Three-month LME aluminium weakened on Tuesday for a third day in a row and dropped 1.29% to US$1,762.5 per tonne. It is expected to trade between US$1,750-1,830 per tonne today. As on September 24, Tuesday, LME aluminium cash (bid) price stood at US$ 1750.50 per tonne, LME official settlement price stands at US$ 1751.50 per tonne; 3-months bid price stands at US$ 1771 per tonne, 3-months offer price is US$ 1772 per tonne; Dec 20 bid price stands at US$ 1850 per tonne, and Dec 20 offer price stands at US$ 1855 per tonne. The LME...
MJ Building Materials Trading, one of the leading companies in the aluminium and extrusion industry in the GCC, will showcase latest aluminium extrusions solutions and other advanced building material at Windows, Doors & Facades Event 2019. The event will take place at the Dubai World Trade Centre from September 24 to 26, 2019. Modar Al Mekdad, Chairman, MJ Building Materials Trading, said: “In line with our efforts to continuously support the UAE’s vision to become the world’s most innovative nation and lead in all aspects of life, we are looking forward to showcase the latest trends in building materials systems at Windows, Doors and Facades.” “We are confident that with our new partners, HYLINE and Glassline GmbH, the construction and architecture sector will have a wider and better...
According to a recent report, Vedanta is considering to set up an aluminium flat rolled products plant with an estimated capital expenditure of INR 2,500 crore. This is part of a plan to expand its portfolio of value-added products, said a senior official. The capex will be part of Vedanta’s INR 15,000 crore investment plans to take the aluminium capacity from the current 2 million tonnes to 3 million tonnes in the next 3-4 years. CEO at Vedanta Aluminium and Power Ajay Kapur said, "We are looking at producing rolled products and entering the sheets market. For this, we are currently talking to Chinese players to see if we can bring a plant here." As per the report, the plant will be set up at Vedanta’s either of the two aluminium facilities in Chhattisgarh or Odisha. Kapur said Vedanta...
The average alumina prices in major China markets have witnessed growth on Wednesday, 25 September 2019. The average spot alumina price stands at RMB 2604 per tonne, up RMB 12 per tonne from the previous average alumina price of RMB 2592 per tonne. Alumina East China and Central China stand at RMB 2600 per tonne and RMB 2620 per tonne, up RMB 10 per tonne each from its earlier price. Alumina price in North China is hovering around RMB 2620 per tonne, up RMB 20 per tonne. Alumina South China remains unchanged at RMB 2520 per tonne as of September 25. Australian alumina FOB price has increased USD 5 per tonne to USD 298 per tonne on Wednesday, 25 September 2019. After a continuous rise for the past three days in a row, A00 aluminium ingot price is down by RMB 40 per tonne from its earlier...
South America’s primary aluminium production stood at 95,000 tonnes in August, unchanged from August 2018. But production increased 2.15% from 93,000 tonnes in July 2019, data showed by the International Aluminium Institute (IAI) on Friday, September 20 In the first eight months of 2019, primary aluminium production in South America dropped 13.48% compared with the same period last year. Total production declined from 801,000 tonnes to 693,000 tonnes in January-August. South America’s full-year primary aluminium production for 2018 stood at 1.164 million tonnes, IAI data showed. Global primary aluminium production stood at 42.464 million tonnes in the first eight months of 2019, from 42.722 million tonnes in the first eight months of 2018. This records a slip of 0.6% year-on-year....
According to the latest data from China Customs, China’s imports of bauxite increased 14.56 per cent year-on-year to 9.04 million tonnes in August 2019. Imports dropped 6.41 per cent month-on-month as rainy season deterred shipments from Guinea. Imports of bauxite in the first eight months of 2019 registered 30.5 per cent growth compared with the same period last year. Total imports came in at 75.06 million tonnes in January-August, showed Customs data under HS code 2606000000. The Republic of Guinea, Australia, and Indonesia remained to be the top three bauxite suppliers to China in August. The three countries together exported about 8.4 million tonnes of bauxite last month. Guinea, a major source of gibbsite bauxite used in low-temperature production lines, exported about 3.64 million...
