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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After the first annual Sustainability Report last year for 2014, Emirates Global Aluminium has published its second report on September 15, with details of EGA’s management approach and sustainability performance at its operations and projects in both the UAE and Guinea for 2018. EGA has reportedly followed the Global Reporting Initiative Standards, the international benchmark for the public disclosure of economic, and environmental and societal performance while preparing its Sustainability Report. The report also meets the reporting and disclosure requirements set by the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative Performance Standards, which define environmental, social, and governance performance standards for sustainability issues specific to the aluminium value chain. EGA was the first Middle...
Aluminium Bahrain B.S.C. (Alba), soon to be the world’s largest aluminium smelter with Line 6, announced Gulf Markets International W.L.L. (GMI) as the Platinum Sponsor for the 23rd edition of the Arab International Aluminium Conference (ARABAL) 2019. The company also announced COBEX as the Gold Sponsor of ARABAL 2019. The Chairman of Alba’s Board of Directors, Shaikh Daij Bin Salman Bin Daij Al Khalifa said: “As the host of ARABAL 2019, we are delighted with the response it has received from global and regional partners as well as our peers in the industry.” “With a broad spectrum of sponsors and delegates already committed to this edition, we look forward to another successful event similar to 2014.” ARABAL 2019 will be held under the patronage of HRH Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al...
According to Shanghai Metals Market, the social inventories of primary aluminium in China have increased over the weekend as stocks across eight major consumption areas, including SHFE warrants, have grown by 6,000 tonnes from Thursday, September 12. The inventories are thus standing at 978,000 tonnes as of Monday, September 16. Week-on-week, the inventories have increased by 14,000 tonnes as stocks on last Monday, September 9, were at 992,000 tonnes. The chart below shows the current status of primary aluminium in China in more details: The primary aluminium stocks in Gongyi, Henan; Hangzhou, Zhejiang; and Chongqing have grown by 5,000 tonnes, 2,000 tonnes, and 3,000 tonnes to 86,000 tonnes, 53,000 tonnes, and 20,000 tonnes respectively. In many other cities like Nanhai, Guangdong,...
At the 59th Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) Annual Convention 2019, Vedanta Aluminium formally launched Primary Foundry Alloy (PFA) for the Indian automotive industry. With this, Vedanta became the first primary aluminium producer in India to supply the raw material for alloy wheels. PFA is a part of the cast aluminium alloy family, predominantly an alloy of aluminium, silicon, and magnesium. Vedanta aluminium said the new product will also help reduce the country’s import bill. “Until now, the auto and ancillary industries were completely dependent on import for the product,” Vedanta said. Ajay Kapur, CEO – Aluminium and Power, Vedanta Ltd. said, “As a long-term strategy, we are adopting various measures to serve the growing demand of our Indian customers. With the...
The US dollar index extended its decline on Friday, after briefly hitting a high of 99.109 on Thursday. The European Central Bank on Thursday cut its deposit interest rate by 10 basis points to a record low of minus 0.5%. LME base metals rose on Friday and aluminium advanced 1.1%. The SHFE closed from Thursday night for the Mid-Autumn Festival Holiday. LME aluminium traded lower over the last two days of the week. Three-month LME aluminium came off from highs as shorts added their positions. However, as the US dollar weakened, three-month LME aluminium rallied on Friday, gaining 1.09% to end at US$1,813 per tonne. It is expected to trade between US$1,780-1,830 per tonne today. As on September 13, Friday, LME aluminium cash (bid) price stood at US$ 1767 per tonne, LME official settlement...
After remaining restrained at RMB 2,547 per tonne from September 6-12, the average spot price of alumina has recorded a growth of RMB 22 per tonne today, on September 16, to stand at RMB 2,569 per tonne, found Shanghai Metals Market. Witnessing the highest rise the alumina spot price in the north has grown by RMB 30 per tonne to RMB 2,590 per tonne. In the east and central, the price has increased by RMB 20 per tonne, on the other hand, to stand at RMB 2,570 per tonne, while that in the south is standing at RMB 2,510 per tonne after climbing up by RMB 5 per tonne. The Australian alumina FOB price has remained muted at US$ 293 per tonne since September 11, according to Shanghai Metals Market data. Among the other input costs, the price of aluminium powder has recorded a decline by RMB 0.10...
The week has seen a few major happenings in the downstream aluminium industry. The industry has witnessed acquisitions and plant shutdown by some of the top players in the downstream industry. Let’s explore the top stories covering the downstream products vertical for the week that went by: Hydro to sell its Romanian extrusion plant to Hammerer Aluminium Industries Hydro announced that it signed an agreement with Austria-based Hammerer Aluminium Industries (HAI) for the sale of its extrusion plant located in Romania. The move is a part of the overall review in Extruded Solutions aiming to optimise and streamline the portfolio. Hydro initiates restructuring; parts of foil production to close in Germany Separately, Hydro decided to initiate a comprehensive restructuring program in its...
According to a recent report, Aluminium Bahrain B.S.C (Alba), soon to be the world’s largest aluminium smelter with Line 6, has been certified to the ISO 27001:2013 Information Security Management System standard. The ISO 27001 is an international standard that sets out the requirements for an Information Security Management System (ISMS). To achieve this certification, a company requires demonstrating a systematic and ongoing approach to managing security risks to the company’s information systems. Speaking about receiving the certification, Alba’s Acting Chief Executive Officer Ali Al Baqali said: “As we progress to become the world’s largest aluminium smelter, we want to assure our stakeholders – shareholders, clients, and suppliers – that we are fully committed to the security of our...
MX3D, the Netherlands, has reportedly built a lightweight aluminium bicycle frame – the Arc Bike II by using Wire-Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) technology. This is the second WAAM bike frame produced at MX3D, following the production of a stainless steel frame designed by the students of TU Delft. To make the aluminium bike frame design tailor fit to the proportions of the rider’s body, MX3D team has used generative design software. The design was then translated by MX3D’s proprietary software into instructions for its robotic welding arm, allowing the frame to be built with twenty-four hours. Then a smart fixture set-up was developed which would allow any custom WAAM frame to be prepared easily for riding. According to MX3D, their new aluminium bicycle frame is one of many structures...
Tomra Sorting Recycling, a Norwegian company that designs and supplies equipment for recycling, will launch its new X-TRACT X6 Fines machinery for high-purity sorting of mixed non-ferrous metal scraps, including aluminium during Aluminum USA. The new technology is capable of sorting smaller fractions with lesser material loss. Sensor and software enhancements allows X-TRACT X6 Fines to detect and sort metals nearly half the size of current standard of small fractions material. X-TRACT X6 Fines combines X-ray transmission (XRT) and Duoline technology, which uses two independent devices with different spectral sensitivities. TOMRA's innovative Dual Processing Technology distinguishes differences between overlapping objects on the sorting line. This is a significant advantage over other...
The month of September marks the end of third quarter of the financial year for a number of companies. The month indicates how the market and industry is going to turn out in the next quarter. Let’s browse through how the alumina industry and the market fared in the first two weeks of September. Shanghai Metals Market reported that the alumina output in China stood at 5.82 million tonnes in August, with metallurgical-grade alumina accounting for 5.57 million tonnes. Daily average production of metallurgical-grade alumina dropped 2.2 per cent month-on-month to 180,000 tonnes in August. Lower output at at a number of refineries led to this drop. Because of sluggish alumina prices and bauxite supply tightness, these alumina producers had to cut their productions. In September, the total...
Automotive market analysts in China suggest government regulators make some changes to their auto market policies to prevent the rapidly falling sales of NEVs after the recent subsidy cuts. The subsidy program for electrified vehicles was introduced to help domestic automakers getting an upper hand over global competitors, reduce vehicle emissions and ease China’s reliance on imported oil. Driven by subsidies China surpassed the United States to become the world’s largest seller of electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids in 2014. Government officials and official media hailed the milestone as a historic achievement. From 2016-18, the government continued on subsidies keeping a deadline to phase out the program by the end of 2020. Until 2018, EV and plug-in hybrid sellers were eligible for...
According to the data shared by US Geological survey, the United States’ aluminium scrap imports in the first six months of 2019 came in at 313,000 tonnes, down 10.31 per cent from 349,000 tonnes in the same period last year. Let us here analyse the monthly trend of the United States’ aluminium scrap imports throughout the first half of 2019 {newsStudioGallery} As per the data of US Geological survey, the country’s imports in June stood at 54,200 tonnes, after recording a decline of 3.38 per cent month-on-month. In May, the imports were at 56,100 tonnes, up 5.64 per cent from 53,100 tonnes in April. As the graph above shows the United States’ aluminium scrap imports in April were also higher than the previous month because in March the country’s import volume was at 51,400 tonnes, which...
During the Aerosol Dispensing Forum (ADF) & Packaging of Perfume, Cosmetics & Design (PCD) in New York Sept. 17-18, 2019, Ball Corporation, the largest and leading supplier of aluminium beverage and aerosol packaging, will showcase its portfolio of innovative aluminium aerosol can shaping and printing solutions. Stanley Platek, Vice President and General Manager of Ball Aerosol Packaging, said, "Aluminium aerosol cans are extraordinarily versatile and an ideal solution for beauty and personal care products. Ball has a unique ability to convey brand messaging through innovative product designs, helping our customers' products to stand out on the shelf and outshine the competition." Meet team Ball Corporation at booth D8 at ADF, September 17-18, 2019, The Ball Aerosol Packaging team will...
London Metal Exchange is planning to allow long queues for loading out metal in warehouses. Metal industry analysts believe this will boost profits for LME warehouses by holding metal for longer, but consumers will pay higher costs for metal. Consumers have opposed the change in rules. LME introduced the current rules to prevent long queues to take aluminium out of LME-registered warehouses in Vlissingen and Detroit, which soared to two years and to 700 days respectively in 2014. The rule allowed full rent payable for 30 days, half rent for 20 days and no rent after 50 days. LME has proposed to change that to full rent till 80 days and no rent thereafter. Under such circumstance, warehouses could pay metal owners larger incentives to put metal on LME warrant instead of offering it to the...
The US dollar index receded slightly to end at 98.3. LME base metals closed mostly lower while SHFE metals grew for the most part yesterday. LME aluminium traded lower over the day. Three-month LME aluminium came off from highs as shorts added their positions and continued the trend to close lower at US$ 1809 per tonne from 1,816.5 per tonne during last closing. Three months LME aluminium is likely to be trading between US$1,780-1,820 per tonne today. As on September 12, Thursday, LME aluminium cash (bid) price stood at US$ 1773 per tonne, LME official settlement price stands at US$ 1774 per tonne; 3-months bid price stands at US$ 1808 per tonne, 3-months offer price is US$ 1809 per tonne; Dec 20 bid price stands at US$ 1883 per tonne, and Dec 20 offer price stands at US$ 1888 per tonne....
After receiving the ASI Performance Standard Certification last month, Jiangsu Zhongji Lamination Materials Co., Ltd achieved Certification to the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative’s Chain of Custody for its aluminium foil production facility in Jiangyin City, China. The certification covers post-casthouse activities related to the company's aluminium foil production. Fiona Solomon, Chief Executive Officer at ASI, said: “Warm congratulations to Jiangsu Zhongji for achieving CoC Certification soon after their Performance Standard Certification last month. The commitment of foil suppliers to ASI supports the focus on sustainability and responsible sourcing by downstream customers in the packaging sector and other foil-using sectors.” The ASI CoC Standard sets out requirements for the...
Oxford University’s Nextrode project that is researching ways to make electrode for Li-ion electric vehicle batteries more efficient has been reportedly chosen by the Faraday Institution. Faraday Institution is a research charity backed by the UK government. Last week, the institution announced that it would fund £55 million for five battery projects, in a bid to improve the technology that sits at the heart of electric vehicles. Today, Li-ion batteries are mostly made using a process called slurry casting, whereby the active materials are mixed in wet slurry and coated onto thin foils of aluminium or copper, then dried and compressed. This process is highly effective for mass production but involves a great cost to the manufacturer for being developed through trial and error. Also,...
