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...
Grow with
AL Circle
China Hongqiao reported results for H1 2019 on Friday and slashed its 2019 production guidance by up to 300,000 tonnes, or about 5%, after recent flood caused by a Typhoon hit its premises. The company however reported a sharp rise in first-half profits. Hongqiao’s net profit rose by 37.3% YoY to RMB 2.48 billion (US$350.15 million) in the first half of 2019 despite lower aluminium prices. This was against the RMB 648.8 million loss it made a year earlier on disposal of subsidiaries. Operation remained stable during the review period. The claimed largest aluminium producer, which reports earnings half-yearly basis, said revenues decreased by around 6.5% to RMB 41.43 billion. Alumina revenues rose 14.9% to RMB 6.16 billion. Hongqiao’s aluminium alloy production dropped 10.3% in H1 2019...
Jawaharlal Nehru Aluminium Research Development and Design Centre (JNARDDC) recently revealed a study that showed aluminium consumption in the automotive sector would rise in India till 2021 buoyed by the increasing demand for electric vehicles. According to the study, India’s aluminium consumption pattern will change as per the changing requirements, while achieving the demand target of 5.3 million tonnes by 2020-21. “Aluminium demand in the country is poised to log Compounded Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 10 per cent in the next five years, beating the global average of six per cent year-on-year growth,” the study revealed. “In the present socio-economic scenario where the world is buzzing with issues like a soaring global population, increasing carbon emission, higher energy cost and...
Canadian government is taking required steps to prevent aluminium and steel from entering Canada illegally as a way to circumvent trade measures. Effective Sept. 1, certain aluminium products will be added to the Import Control List (ICL) under the Export and Import Permits Act. Under this act, importers will have to submit details of the imported aluminium products to the Canada Border Services Agency. Any inaccurate and falsified filings will be subject to penalties. Ottawa is also modifying anti-dumping regulations in order to apply appropriate duties on products entering Canada and to give CBSA flexibility to compare import prices with the prices charged by the exporters to other countries. The developments took place before a proposed meeting between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and...
According to a recent report, Nespresso, partnered with JD Logistics, has expanded its coffee capsule pick-up service in china to further demonstrate its environmental responsibility. Nespresso customers in China can visit a recycling page integrated with Nespresso’s WeChat mini-programme to sign up for the doorstep recycling service. Other than Nespresso customers, any coffee drinkers can also avail the service by using the same mini-programme. They can schedule a same or next day JD courier to arrive at the door and pick up any used coffee capsules. JD courier will then deliver the used capsules to the nearest recycling plant in Beijing, Shanghai, or Guangzhou, based on users locations. The aluminium from the capsules will be separated and repurposed into novelty gift products such as...
Taiwan’s exports of total aluminium including scrap to the US stood at 33,000 tonnes in January-May 2019, 217.31% higher than the corresponding period of 2018, according to the latest Mineral Industry Survey report from US Geological Survey. In May, aluminium exports came in at 5,500 tonnes, an increase of 63.69% from 3,360 tonnes exported in the same period last year. Exports were down by 27.92% month-on-month. {newsStudioGallery} Taiwan exported 32,400 tonnes of aluminium semi-finished products to the US in the first five months of 2019, a jump of 244.68% from the same period last year. Taiwan’s export to the US was 9,400 tonnes in the first five months of 2018. Exports of semi-finished products increased by 69.87% per cent in May 2019 compared with the same period last year. Exports to...
China announced that it will impose an extra 5% tariff on imports of copper scrap and aluminium scrap from the United States from Dec. 15, 2019. This was confirmed by a list of retaliatory tariffs published by the Ministry of Finance on Friday, August 23. Beijing had already levied a 25% tariff on U.S. aluminium scrap twice in 2018 leading to a total import tariff of 50%. The United States had been one of its biggest suppliers of aluminium scrap to China. According to Customs data, China’s aluminium scarp import dropped to 1.6 million tonnes in 2018 from 2.2 million tonnes in 2017. According to Customs data US aluminium scrap export to China dropped 16% to 229,837 tonnes during January to June 2019 from the same period of 2018. China, the world’s biggest metals consumer, is tightening...
South Africa-based aluminium supplier and exporter Hulamin has reportedly held low-priced Chinese imports and rising operating costs responsible for its distressed aluminium extrusion business. Richard Jacob, CEO of Hulamin, pointed out on Friday that cheaper aluminium imports from China strained the South African market and therefore, took a toll on its business “The selling prices are down quite sharply over the last two years,” Jacob said. Richard Jacob also said, after the release of the company’s H1 2019 financial results, that Hulamin would close the Olifantsfontein factory in Gauteng and concentrate the extrusions operations in Pietermaritzburg. In the first six months ended on June 30, 2019, Hulamin’s revenue decreased by 1 per cent to R5.25 billion, while the operating profit was...
Shanghai Metals Market data showed that social inventories of primary aluminium across eight consumption areas in China, including SHFE warrants, stood at 1.04 million tonnes as of Monday August 26. Stocks dropped 20,000 tonnes from 1.063 million tonnes as of Thursday August 22. Primary aluminium inventories extended their declines over the weekend as stocks in most areas posted declines. 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 10,000 tonnes and 2,000 tonnes from Thursday August 22 to 311,000 tonnes and 197,000 tonnes as of Monday, 26 August 2019. Inventories in Nanhai, Guangdong dropped 14,000 tonnes to 288,000 tonnes. Gongyi, Henan rose 6,000 tonnes from...
The US dollar dipped broadly on Friday after President Donald Trump ordered US companies to start looking for an alternative to China after Beijing imposed more tariffs on American goods. China announced retaliatory tariffs against about US$75 billion worth of US goods, putting as much as an extra 10% on top of existing rates. The dollar index slipped some 0.6% and finished at 97.65. LME base metals closed mixed while SHFE metals ended mostly lower. LME aluminium edged higher and SHFE aluminium closed flat. Three-month LME aluminium rebounded swiftly after the announcement of higher Chinese tariffs on American goods depressed base metal prices on Friday. It edged higher on the day and closed at RMB 1,767 per tonne, with the trading range expected at US$1,700-1,780 per tonne today. As on...
According to Shanghai Metals Market, the average spot price of alumina has extended its rise further by RMB 17 per tonne to stand at RMB 2,491 per tonne, as of August 26, 2019. The alumina price started growing incessantly since August 16, ranging between RMB 2,442 per tonne and RMB 2,491 per tonne. Only on August 22, it remained restrained at RMB 2,463 per tonne. In the east, central, and north, the alumina price has increased by RMB 20 per tonne to RMB 2,500 per tonne, RMB 2,490 per tonne, and RMB 2,510 per tonne, respectively. The Australian alumina FOB price, on the other hand, continues to remain restraint at US$300 per tonne for the third consecutive day. Against the background of increased alumina price, the A00 aluminium ingot price today refused to register a growth. Even the...
Hind Aluminium Industries Limited, manufacturers of aluminium & alloy conductors and aluminium wire rods for use in power transmission and distribution applications, announced unaudited consolidated financial results for the quarter ended 30 June, 2019. Revenue from Operation dropped 19.48 per cent year-on-year. Revenue decreased from INR168.70 crore in the quarter ended 30 June, 2018 to INR 135.83 crore in the quarter ended 30 June 2019. On a quarterly basis, revenue increased 14.79 per cent from audited figure of INR 118.33 crore. Hind Aluminium Industries Limited is engaged in manufacturing conductors in Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Silvassa (UT), India. The plant also manufactures wire rods and flipped cols of aluminium. Net loss stood at INR1.15 crore in the quarter ended June 2019 as...
According to the International Aluminium Institute (IAI), the global aluminium production grew at its slowest pace in a decade in 2018, totalling at 64.34 million tonnes, up by 1.5 per cent from 2017. Most of this production occurred in the first half of the year, while in the second half did no more than flat-line. This was the weakest production performance since 2009, when the industry was hit by the collapse in prices, United States’ sanctions on Rusal, tariffs on aluminium imports, and production cut at multiple smelters. Even China, the world’s dominant producer, ran out of expansion steam last year with growth of 1.6 percent, while the rest of the world managed just 1.4 percent. In Latin America, North America, West Europe, and Africa, the aluminium production even dwindled by 15.5...
Disruptions in two of the Chinese primary aluminium smelters pushed SHFE aluminium prices to a nine-month high this week. Though the exact status of both plants is uncertain, there have been enough speculation and the market is buzzing with a potential supply squeeze. A media report last week said that a wall of one of the Shandong-based group’s aluminium plants was “immediately overwhelmed” by flood water. This statement was issued by Weiqiao Pioneering, which was owned by Zhang family that owns Hongqiao Aluminium. Hongqiao and Weiqiao are considered to be from the same group of alumina and aluminium-producer. This led to a speculation that Hongqiao’s aluminium production could be affected. Hongqiao Group however, denied that flooding in the province of Shandong caused any of its...
According to a Reuters report, Commodity traders Glencore PLC and Trafigura have picked up a 70,479 tonnes of aluminium during an online auction of metal inventory dating back to China's 2014 Qingdao warehousing scandal. This was confirmed by the e-commerce platform that hosted the auction. The aluminium stock, formerly owned by Dezheng Resources was auctioned by the Qingdao Intermediate People's Court on a JD.com site. The company was accused of duplicating warehouse certificates to apply for bank loans. Glencore won the aluminium action at a bidding price of RMB 485.43 million ($68.55 million) in eight consignments totalling 39,745.76 tonnes. The aluminium was in store since 2013-14. The price stands at about RMB 12,213 per tonne, a discount of 14.5% on the Shanghai aluminium closing...
Hulamin announced unaudited results for the half year ended 30 June 2019. The company reported an operating loss of R77.7 million in the six months compared to an operating profit of R158.5 million last year. This records a plunge of 149% year-on-year. Richard Jacob, Hulamin Chief Executive Officer said: ‘Hulamin experienced challenging trading conditions during the first six months of 2019. Export sales to the United States were disrupted by blockages in our distribution channel, customer overstocking, and a softening underlying market.” “This disturbed the balance between material purchases and sales resulting in an increase in work-in-progress and finished goods stocks, and the consequent absorption of cash.” Hulamin’s extrusions division suffered a first-half loss, because of...
In 2018, over 1 million tonnes of aluminium foil containers were sold globally; sales are likely to proliferate at a moderate y-o-y of over 4 per cent in 2019, as per FMI’s research. Shifting consumer patterns toward effective and sustainable formats has been identified as a key sales influencer of aluminium foil containers. According to FMI’s analysis, weight of aluminium is another key aspect enhancing the viability of aluminium foil containers across diverse end-use applications. Needless to say, many countries across the world are encashing on this growth in aluminium foil containers demand and increasing their supplies to other parts of the world. The Netherlands is also one of them, which increased its export volume in 2018. In 2019, however, the volume is expected to record a...
BYD Co. reported a 204 per cent rise in profit in H1 2019 driven by the surge in China's new energy vehicle market. The automaker funded by U.S. investor Warren Buffett produces battery electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles and also conventional vehicles. The company posted net profit of RMB 1.45 billion (US$205.29 million), up from RMB 479.10 million from the same period of 2018. BYD sold 145,653 new energy vehicles from January to June, up 95 per cent from a year earlier. It also sold 82,419 gasoline models, down 45 per cent YoY. Revenue increased 14.8 per cent to RMB 62.18 billion from RMB 54.15 billion. BYD plans to shift its new-vehicle lineup to only electric-powered vehicles. The company also announced its decision to develop battery electric vehicles with Toyota Motor Corp last...
Novelis Inc. has collaborated with the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) to launch the Novelis Innovation Hub at Georgia Tech. The company has committed $2.5 million to initiate research, faculty, student, and educational program support. The partnership will promote basic and translational research, innovative business models, and related educational endeavours at Georgia Tech and will serve as a cross-functional hub connecting Novelis' technical and business innovators with students and faculty. Steve Fisher, President and CEO, Novelis, Inc. said: "We are fortunate to have one of the world's premier research institutions in our hometown. As we pursue our purpose of shaping a sustainable world together, we have a tremendous opportunity to collaborate with Georgia Tech to...
