
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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Keith Gilbert, Andrew Spiers and a cross-service team at Freeths LLP have announced the acquisition of Harrison Castings. Harrison Castings Ltd is a specialist manufacturer of aluminium casting components in the UK. The company manufactures raw or fully machined aluminium sand castings and aluminium gravity castings in Leicester, employing 95 staff. The company produces over 1,500 tonnes of aluminium sand castings each year. After 108 years of family ownership, Managing Director Mick Jenney and his co-directors Carly Kicks, Adrian Burton and Lee Webster have led a management buyout of the company. Mick Jenney said: “All parties see this as a great opportunity for Harrison Castings to maintain its position as one of the leading aluminium sand foundries in the UK. The company has invested...

The US dollar fell on Tuesday ahead of an expected US interest rate cut from the Federal Reserve. LME base metals, except for aluminium, closed lower on Tuesday. SHFE aluminium rose 0.2%. After a weeklong upward movement, LME has started its downturn to a level below early September. Three-month LME aluminium slid to a six-day low of US$1,778 per tonne on Tuesday, before it rebounded to finish the trading day 0.31% higher at US$1,793 per tonne overnight. LME aluminium is expected to trade rangebound between US$1,770-1,820 per tonne today, with strong resistance from the 40- and 60-day moving averages. As on September 17, Tuesday, LME aluminium cash (bid) price stood at US$ 1746 per tonne, LME official settlement price stands at US$ 1746.50per tonne; 3-months bid price stands at US$ 1778...

Hindalco Industries Limited announced that the company was added to the S&P Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) for the first time. Hindalco was one of 12 Indian companies to be included in the Dow Jones Emerging Markets Sustainability Index. Hindalco became the only aluminium manufacturer from India to be included in the list this year. Its DJSI score places Hindalco among the world’s top three aluminium companies. The company was recognised for its success in governance, social and environmental initiatives. Satish Pai, MD at Hindalco said: “I am proud that Hindalco has successfully met the stringent criteria of DJSI. This achievement demonstrates how well sustainability has become entrenched in Hindalco. The 3 key pillars of our performance have been Resilience in a low LME...

After the two significant declines by RMB 150 per tonne and RMB 70 per tonne on September 16 and September 17, the A00 aluminium ingot price has recorded a slight rise today, on September 18, by RMB 10 per tonne to stand at RMB 14,340 per tonne, found Shanghai Metals Market. The average prices are expected to range between RMB 14,320 per tonne and RMB 14,360 per tonne, with spot contract to be traded at a discount price of RMB 10-50 per tonne. In Foshan and Tianjin, the A00 aluminium ingot price has registered the highest rise of RMB 30 per tonne to hover at RMB 14,380 per tonne and RMB 14,350 per tonne, followed by Chongqing and Gongyi where the ingot price has increased by RMB 20 per tonne and RMB 15 per tonne to RMB 14,370 per tonne and RMB 14,225 per tonne. In other cities like Linyi,...

CANPACK, a leading manufacturer of aluminium beverage cans, announced that the company will invest in a new aluminium beverage can factory in the town of Stříbřo – in the region of Pilsen, western Czech Republic. The new investment will increase the production capacity of aluminium beverage cans to around 25 billion cans per year. Stephen McAneny, Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer at CANPACK said: “The state of the art facility is a landmark in the continued strategic partnership between Asahi and CANPACK.” “Utilising our agile business model we aim to offer Plzeňský Prazdroj and our extensive European customer base innovative and sustainable packaging, superior quality, as well as operational excellence whilst enhancing the brand and consumer experience.” CANPACK said the new...

According to a recent report, Chinese automotive manufacturer Chery, in association with German electric vehicle producer Steatscooter, will build a production plant for manufacturing electric light commercial vehicles for postal and parcel transport use. As per the report, both Chery and Streatscooter will invest 500 million euros to build the plant in China, with an output capacity of 100,000 units per year. 2021 is the estimated time for the plant to be launched. Chery is one of the earliest new energy vehicle (NEV) producers in China. In 2018, it sold 60,000 NEVs, ranking behind BAIC Motor and BYD Auto. In 2020, it aims to produce 200,000 units. Data from China Industry Association showed the country’s production of new energy vehicles during January-August rose by 31.6 per cent over...

According a recent report, Hindalco managing director Mr. Satish Pai said in an interview that he believed the ongoing year (2019) to be a tough year for metals and commodities, with the US and China showing no sign of easing trade tensions. He pointed out the US-China trade wars which were expected to be sorted by the second half of the year did not yet happen, resulting in no growth in worldwide demand for metals. Commenting on the one-time plastic ban and aluminium being a better option, he said: “We took people from the Brazilian government to meet Niti Aayog on this topic because Brazil is a country that recycles a lot of more aluminium from cans and metals in general than this.” “Many countries in the world have started to ban single-use plastic and in general plastic in the forms...

Ball Corporation announced that the company has been included on the 2019 Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) World and North America. This marks the seventh consecutive year Ball has been featured on the indices. This acknowledges the company’s commitment to sustainability and its leadership in delivering sustainable aluminium beverage packaging solutions. John A. Hayes, chairman, president and chief executive officer said: "Sustainability is one of our top priorities and we are honoured to be recognized by the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices again this year. Today's consumers are increasingly concerned about plastic pollution, and we are committed to providing customers with infinitely recyclable and economically valuable aluminium cans, bottles and cups that enable a circular...

Guiyang, the capital of southwest China’s Guizhou province, has eased its previous restrictions on issuing special license plates for vehicles in order to boost vehicle sales. The city becomes the first one to work on ending restrictions on new-vehicle sales. Guiyang started issuing special license plates for vehicles permitted to drive in its downtown area in 2011 and in order to restrict traffic; it capped the number of license plate to 2,000 per month. According to the Guiyang city government website, they have lifted that restriction effective Sept. 12. Guiyang had a fleet of 2.05 million vehicles at the end of 2018. To boost the new-vehicle market, which is expected to fall for the second straight year in 2019, Beijing has urged China’s major cities to take back practices and rules...

According to the global export-import data, the United Arab Emirates’ alumina imports from India is likely to drop marginally this year, in tandem with the current estimation of year-on-year decline in the UAE’s total imports of alumina. In 2019, the country’s alumina imports from India are estimated to come in at 607,085 tonnes, down 1 per cent year-on-year. The country’s total alumina imports are currently estimated to decline by about 4 per cent from 1.03 million tonnes in 2018 to 986,118 tonnes in 2019. But as far as the UAE’s alumina imports from Indonesia are concerned, the volume is estimated to grow this year by around 8.4 per cent to 296,168 tonnes. {newsStudioGallery} As the above graph shows, the United Arab Emirates’ alumina imports from India had even dropped in 2018 from...

More than 200 employees and community leaders from Noranda Bauxite Company's plant in the Cockpit Country protested in front of the headquarters of Jamaica Environment Trust (JET) yesterday against a campaign to stop Noranda’s mining operations outside the protected area. The demonstrators said they wanted the environmental watchdog to listen to the actual industry facts. They accused JET and other activist groups of spreading “propaganda and false news” by demanding a bauxite mining ban in or around the protected area. “The environmentalist groups, the artistes and sections of the media are trying to lock us down,” said Alfred Henry, a mining superintendent at Noranda Bauxite. He expressed concern over investors moving out because of political interference in industrial activities....

Carlton & United Breweries (CUB) announced the acquisition of Adelaide-based Riot Wine Co for an undisclosed amount, foraying into the wine business. Riot Wine Co, launched in 2016, is the only company in Australia that sells wine exclusively in kegs and cans. Riot co-founder and chief winemaker Tom O’Donnell said: “We are incredibly excited to be joining Carlton & United Breweries. Their investment, expertise and customer relationships will help us continue our rapid expansion.” Riot co-founder and general manager Joe Cook said: “We launched Riot Wine Co to start a wine revolution in Australia by getting venues and consumers to switch from bottles to steel kegs and aluminium cans. Wine drank this way is fresher and easier plus it’s more sustainable because one keg saves roughly 23,000...

The US dollar rebounded against a basket of currencies on Monday. LME base metals dropped on Monday, on growing concerns about demand in China after the release of bleak economic data. LME aluminium fell 1.4% and SHFE aluminium declined 0.6%. The SHFE /LME cash aluminum ratio registered at 8.13, while the SHFE/LME 3M aluminum ratio was at 7.92. LME cash aluminum was at contango of $31.5/mt against LME 3M aluminum. LME aluminium started the week higher on Monday. However, with dollar’s rebound on Monday night, three-month LME aluminium came off from earlier highs to end at US$1,787.5 per tonne in a week. It lost 1.41% on the day, and the buildup of short positions mainly accounted for the decline. LME aluminium is expected to trade between US$1,780-1,830 per tonne today, with support...

A-Tech Australia, a leading supplier, manufacturer and installer of aluminium for Sydney’s urban landscape, has reportedly placed a plan with Orange City Council to redevelop the former Electrolux site for starting an aluminium factory. Under the proposal, A-Tech will locally produce aluminium components for the building industry, including windows, doors, curtain walls, facades, pergolas, and skylights, by investing around $30 million. “Currently around two-thirds of the local aluminium market (worth $832 million a year) is met by imports from China and Vietnam,” said A-Tech Australia CEO, Charlie Ibrahim. He also said, “By boosting the local aluminium manufacturing industry, home-grown businesses can substitute a significant proportion of these imports with locally-made products.” The...

A00 aluminium ingot price has extended its decline to RMB 14330 per tonne on Tuesday, 17 September 2019, from its previous price of RMB 14400 per tonne on September 16. This indicates a drop of RMB 70 per tonne or 0.49 per cent. The price is expected to range at RMB 14310-14350 per tonne. Spot aluminium price is likely to be traded at a premium of RMB 20-60 per tonne. Foshan has seen the highest drop in aluminium ingot price today. The price in Foshan stands at RMB 14350 per tonne, down by RMB 90 per tonne from its previous price. The average price is likely to range at RMB 14330-14370 per tonne. In Wuxi and Hangzhou, aluminium ingot price has declined by RMB 70 per tonne and by RMB 65 per tonne to stand at RMB 14330 per tonne and RMB 14345 per tonne. Their average prices are expected to...

According to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on Monday, September 16, production of primary aluminium in China stood at 2.97 million tonnes in August, a drop of 0.3 per cent year-on-year. Production in August dropped 0.5 per cent month-on-month on outages at China Hongqiao Group and Xinfa Group. Xinfa Group in August closed an aluminium production line after an explosion at a plant in the north-western region of Xinjiang. The accident led to the shutdown of around 500,000 tonnes of annual smelting capacity. Hongqiao slashed its 2019 production guidance by up to 300,000 tonnes, or about 5 per cent after recent flood caused by a Typhoon hit its premises. According to Reuters calculations based on NBS data, production averaged around 95,800 tonnes per day in August,...

A report from the Aluminium Association and the Can Manufacturers Institute (CMI) showed early last week that aluminium cans outperformed other competitive packaging types and materials based on several sustainability metrics. The report - “The Aluminium Can Advantage: Key Sustainability Performance Indicators 2019” revealed that aluminium cans were recycled nearly double the rate of glass or plastic bottles. While the consumer recycling rates of plastic bottle came in at 29.2 per cent and glass bottle at 26.4 per cent, the recycling rates of aluminium cans stood at 49.8 per cent. The average recycled content for an aluminium can produced also rose from 70 per cent to 73 per cent in the United States, compared to 23 percent for glass and 3 percent for plastic. As a result, the value of...

Bahrain’s exports of total aluminium (crude metal and alloys and semi-finished products) to the US came in at 109,000 tonnes in the first half of 2019, 9.77% higher than the corresponding period of 2018. Exports were 99,300 tonnes in the first half of 2018, according to the latest Mineral Industry Survey report from US Geological Survey. {newsStudioGallery} In June, aluminium exports stood 28.57% higher compared with the same period last year. Exports to the US increased from 12,600 tonnes in June 2018 to 16,200 tonnes in June 2019. Exports decreased by 26.7% from May’s export volume of 22,100 tonnes. Bahrain exported 74,500 tonnes of crude metals and alloys to the US in the first six months of 2019, from 67,200 tonnes exported in the first six months of 2018. This records an increase...