A quarterly and annual jump in the United States aluminium imports during the first quarter of 2025 comes as no surprise – and here’s why. President Trump’s February 10 proclamation announcing steep tariffs on aluminium and steel imports, effective March 12, sparked a wave of anticipatory buying. US importers rushed to stockpile metal in the weeks ahead of the tariff deadline, setting off a temporary import boom.
According to data from the US Geological Survey, aluminium imports surged to 1.6 million tonnes in Q1 2025, marking a 17.65 per cent jump year-on-year and a 20 per cent rise from the previous quarter. March alone saw a 35 per cent month-over-month spike, from 459,000 tonnes to 619,000 tonnes.
Of course, Canada, America’s long-standing aluminium supplier, naturally played a central role in the surge (with exports up 19.77 per cent M-o-M to 309,000 tonnes), the real headline was the United Arab Emirates.
The UAE, typically a modest player on the US aluminium board, exported a staggering 95,900 tonnes to the US in March—more than its usual quarterly volume. In February, the figure was a mere 29,500 tonnes. This sudden upswing pushed UAE aluminium shipments to 173,000 tonnes in Q1 2025, a massive 124 per cent increase over the previous quarter.
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