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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Shanghai Metals Market found aluminium billet inventories to further shrink today, on May 30, by some 1,200 tonnes week-on-week, as lower processing fees buoyed downstream consumption. Last week, on May 23, the billet inventories were at 79,700 tonnes after declining by some 13,900 tonnes from 96,500 tonnes on May 16, while today the stocks are at 78,500 tonnes. This indicates that billet inventories this week have recorded a slower plunge. In Foshan, Guangdong, the aluminium billet inventory has dropped by some 1,900 tonnes from the last week to stand at 34,900 tonnes, while that in Wuxi, Jiangsu has declined by some 2,800 tonnes to stand at 13,200 tonnes. In Huzhou, Zhejiang, and in Nanchang, Jiangxi, the inventory, however, has inched up by some 1000 tonnes and 3,400 tonnes to clock at...
Aluminium Bahrain (Alba), the Bahrain-based aluminium smelter, has been awarded the ‘Best Corporate Governance in Industrial Services Middle East’ award for its outstanding corporate governance policies as well as its role in establishing and maintaining good practices in transparency across its operations. The company has won the award by Ethical Boardroom. Alba’s chairman of the board of directors Shaikh Daij Bin Salman Bin Daij Al Khalifa said: “This recognition from Ethical Boardroom is a proud moment for us and underlines our commitment towards best business practices.” “Our corporate governance practices are done more through principles rather than rules and for that we thank our board of directors as well as the executive management for their continued support in safeguarding the...
Norsk Hydro’s Alunorte refinery in Brazil with a production capacity of 6.3 million tonne has been given approval to restart production by the Brazilian authorities. Though it was expected by the market, the move came earlier than time taking the industry by surprise. A Brazilian federal court has lifted the production embargo on Hydro Alunorte alumina refinery under the criminal lawsuit on Monday, May 20, allowing Alunorte to resume full production. The embargo on the new, state-of-art bauxite residue disposal area (DRS2) remains in force. The restart is a boost for Hydro, whose Brazilian operations was impacted in the first quarter of 2019 due to production cut in Alunorte and also in the aluminium smelter Albras. According to The Financial Times Alunorte’s production would reach 75-85%...
China’s alumina import is estimated to rise in the coming months as the shutdown of Xinfa alumina refinery in early May could affect the local supply. Market sources said on Tuesday, May 28, that the amount of import may range between 60,000 tonnes to 160,000 tonnes. An Australian refinery source estimated that around 2 million tonnes per year of alumina output was cut, which was equivalent to 160,000 tonnes per month, resulting in increased inquiries for spot Australian alumina. General Administration of Customs data showed that China in April had imported 56,786 tonnes of alumina, double the 27,156 tonnes of imports in March. The country’s average alumina import during January-April had amounted to 53,985 tonnes per month. Chinese and Australian alumina refinery, aluminium smelters, and...
Ball Corporation, a provider of metal packaging for beverages, foods and household products, and of aerospace and other technologies and services, has announced the joining of Betty Sapp, former director of the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), as a member of the board of directors. John A. Hayes, chairman, president and chief executive officer said: "We are thrilled to welcome Betty to our board of directors. With her legacy of strong performance and a commitment to diversity while at the NRO, and her rich experience at the Department of Defense and the Air Force, she will complement our existing board and leaders as we continue to focus on achieving our Drive for 10 vision and leveraging the many opportunities within our aerospace and packaging businesses." Betty Sapp joined the NRO...
Australia-based aluminium extrusion producer Capral is reportedly eyeing to develop partnerships with Chinese and Southeast Asian fabricators and extrusion manufacturers, as aluminium is becoming a common choice for Asian architects to construct modern and sublime homes and buildings. Capral is the largest aluminium extrusion and distribution business in Australia, with expertise in producing building systems products such as doors and windows, shower enclosures, and wardrobes. Managing director Tony Dragicevich said, “Our systems are built for Australian climate conditions, which are very similar to conditions in southeast China and Asia.” He further said, “Our proprietary systems are designed and tested in our own laboratories to withstand weather conditions such as strong winds and...
According to the preliminary estimates from Aluminum Association, aluminium demand in the United States and Canada, including shipments by domestic producers plus imports stood at an estimated 3.25 million tonnes from January to March 2019, slightly up from the same period of 2018. Demand for semi-fabricated (mill) products for the first quarter stood at 2.3 million tonnes, up 2.1 per cent YoY. Apparent consumption (demand less exports) in domestic markets totalled an estimated 2.9 million tonnes, up 1.3 per cent YoY. Apparent consumption in domestic markets totalled 984,295 tonnes in March, a slight rise over March 2018 total. Producer inventories totalled 3,511 million pounds in March, a slight drop month on month. Compared to a year ago, producer inventories were up 11.9 per cent....
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) exports huge amount of aluminium scrap every year. UAE is one of the major aluminium recycling hubs in the Middle East. The top export destinations of aluminium scrap are India, Italy, Turkey, Spain, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Oman among others. According to recent estimates, UAE exported 136817 tonnes of aluminium scrap in 2016, which increased by 8.94 per cent or 12227 tonnes to total at 149044 tonnes in 2017. UAE’s estimated aluminium scraps exports increased by 25.64 per cent year-on-year to 187258 tonnes in 2018. The export volume is estimated to stand at 164390 tonnes in 2019, down 12.21per cent from 2018, but up 10.3 per cent from 2017. UAE’s total export of aluminium scrap was valued at US$185 million in 2016. The country shipped aluminium scrap...
London studio Doshi Levien has reportedly produced a collection of lamps called ‘Earth to Sky’, using automotive aluminium. The collection includes two table lamps, one ceiling light, and a series of wall-hung lights designed as pieces of art, as well as to provide illumination. Each piece features at least one element of aluminium shaped using the technique employed to make and repair cars. For the first time, Doshi Levien has produced a collection entirely itself, starting from its conception to production. "The reason we started this project was to have complete freedom," said studio founders Nipa Doshi and Jonathan Levien. The series of wall-hung lights features a vertical rod of brass that stands over a metre high with interlocking concave and convex pieces of solid and perforated...
After winning ASI certificates for its rolling and extrusion operations, Hydro has won its ASI Performance Standard certifications with Primary Metal operations including the aluminium smelting, re-melting/refining and casthouse activities at the production sites Clervaux (Luxembourg), Høyanger (Norway), Karmøy (Norway), Sunndal (Norway) and Årdal (Norway). Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI) announced on May 28 that Hydro’s Primary Aluminium operations in Luxembourg and Norway were successfully certified against the ASI Performance Standard. With this certification of the Primary Aluminium sites, Hydro won ASI certification for its 13 production sites including primary metal, smelting/re-melting, casting, extruding and rolling. The producer now boosts the most ASI Performance Standard...
As updated by Shanghai Metals Market, the Mexican government imposed a provisional anti-dumping duty on aluminium foil coils imports from China. According to a preliminary ruling announced on May 24, duties were set at $0.17968-1.1634 per kg. No duties were imposed on imports having a price of $ 3.4817 per kg or higher. The products subject to the duty are classified under the HS code of 76071101. Mexico on August 28 announced the initiation of anti-dumping investigation on imports of aluminium foil from China. The investigation was in response to a complaint filed by Mexican firm Almexa Aluminio claiming that aluminium foil of a thickness equal to or less than 0.08 millimeters originating in China was damaging Mexico’s domestic industry. Customs data showed that only 3.98 per cent of...
According to a recent report, Hulamin Extrusions on Tuesday, May 28, circulated retrenchment notifications among its personnel. In a letter, Hulamin said it was considering closing the Olifantsfontein facility and restructuring the Pietermaritzburg plant and supporting services operations. In two of the facilities, the subsidiary of Hulamin Limited employs about 400 staff, which equates to about 20% of total group employment. An anonymous source said the company could lay off as many as 200 employees. However, the news could not be verified with Hulamin as attempts to get a comment from the firm were not successful. According to one of the letters issued to the employees, the consultation over the retrenchments will start from Wednesday, May 29, and will expectedly come to a conclusion by...
The US dollar extended its rebound on Tuesday, driven by trade and political concerns as well as a strong rise in American consumer confidence. LME base metals closed mixed on Tuesday after the long weekend. Aluminium inched up close to 0.1%. Most SHFE base metals traded lower overnight but aluminium rose 0.2%. After the holiday on Monday, three-month LME aluminium fluctuated between US$1,799-1,814.5 per tonne on Tuesday and closed 0.08% higher at US$1,803.5 per tonne. LME cash settlement price closed higher on Monday at US$1773 per tonne. Despite an 8,100 tonne decline in aluminium stocks across LME-approved warehouses, LME aluminium is expected to continue its rangebound pattern between US$1,790-1,820 per tonne today as the greenback held firm. As on May 28, Monday, LME aluminium cash...
The Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organization (IMIDRO) reported that Iran's total production of aluminium stood at 20,415 tonnes during the first Iranian month (March 21-April 20). This marks a drop of 33 per from the same period last year. Iran’s flagship aluminium producer Iran Aluminum Company (IRALCO) accounted for 15,297 tonnes of the total figure, which indicates a 2 per cent growth year-on-year. Hormozal Aluminum Company churned out 2,625 tonnes, which was a 73 per cent drop on the year. Almahdi Aluminum Company produced 2,493 tonnes, down by 58 per cent YoY. Iran Alumina Company’s production of alumina came in at 18,259 tonnes in the same period, showing an 11 per cent decline compared to last year's same month. The country has an estimated...
According to Shanghai Metals Market, the average spot price of alumina has recorded a dip today, May 29, to RMB 3,119 per tonne, after being remained restraint at RMB 3,163 per tonne from May 23 to May 28. After more than a month, the average alumina spot price has registered a decline. Since April 17, the price began to rise incessantly with no interim downfall, ranging between RMB 2,665 per tonne and RMB 3,163 per tonne. Only it showed some intermittent restraints on April 19 at RMB 2,665 per tonne, on May 6-9 at RMB 2,778 per tonne, on May 20 at RMB 3,087 per tonne, and on May23-28 at RMB 3,163 per tonne. In the east and central, the alumina spot price is standing at RMB 3,110 per tonne and RMB 3,120 per tonne after declining by RMB 40 per tonne and RMB 50 per tonne, while in the north...
The 12th edition of the Automotive Engineering Show 2019 returns to Chennai this year. The event is expected to bring together leading technology-driven brands and their newest innovations for the automotive industry. The USD 93 billion automotive industry in India is shouldering 7.1% of India's GDP and contributes 49% to the nation's manufacturing GDP. The event will provide a common platform for product exhibition, product demonstrations and seminar sessions for the participants and visitors and offer an opportunity to O.E.M and automotive manufacturers to identify connect and collaborate with the right technology partners for industrial and process automation and quality control tools. Starting from July 4 2019 for three days, the business event will bring together over 85 prominent...
Showa Aluminum Can Corporation (SAC), a consolidated subsidiary of Showa Denko, announced that it will cease production of aluminium can plant in June 2020. The company will stop a part of its production lines in Oyama and Hikone in order to respond to changes in the domestic market environment. “In the domestic market for aluminium cans, the demand for cans for alcoholic beverages continues to be strong due to an increase in the demand for alcoholic beverages other than beer and beer-like beverages, though the demand for beer/beer-like beverages continues declining. However, the demand for aluminium cans for non-alcoholic beverages is expected to decrease significantly due to a shift from aluminium cans to PET bottles. As a result, the total demand for aluminium cans in Japan is expected...
Scientists at the National University of Science and Technology (MISIS) have reportedly discovered a simple and efficient way to strengthen aluminium-based composite materials. By doping aluminium melt with nickel and lanthanum, scientists have produced a new aluminium alloy that has benefits of both composite materials and standard alloys, including flexibility, strength, and lightness. Torgom Akopyan, one of the authors and researchers at NUST MISIS Department of Metal Forming said, “Our research group, led by Professor Nikolai Belov, has worked on the creation of aluminium-based composites for many years. Al-Ni-La composite is one of such projects, aimed at creation of “natural” aluminium-based composite material with more than 15% vol. of doping elements. A feature of the new...
