Domestic spot alumina prices edged down slightly last week amid flat trading activity. Recent alumina price movements were mainly attributed to earlier concentrated restocking by downstream buyers, which has led to accumulating inventories at rail stations and smelters. Coupled with supply-side maintenance-driven output cuts that are still building, readily available spot volumes have tightened relatively. Only sporadic tender deals were heard recently, leaving prices in a temporary steady phase. On the bauxite front, domestic ore prices saw limited movement last week. Supply-side bottlenecks are unlikely to ease in the near term, with mines prioritising captive supply, leaving little excess spot material available. For imported ore, freight rates rebounded slightly and consecutively last...
Japan imported 1.36 million tonnes of downstream aluminium products in January–August 2026, down 6.2 per cent from 1.45 million tonnes in the same period of 2025. The latest figures show lower overall imports, with shipments from the UAE seeing the biggest decline among the five leading exporters listed, while imports from Australia also fell. Japan’s total imports decline Japan’s downstream aluminium imports stood at 1.36 million tonnes through August 2026, a drop of around 90,000 tonnes, compared to shipments in 2025 during the same period. However, annual imports remained broadly stable over the previous three years, rising from 2.11 million tonnes in 2023 to 2.12 million tonnes in 2024, an increase of 0.3 per cent. In 2025, imports edged up by a further 0.1 per cent to 2.12 million...
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PV aluminium extrusion: The PV aluminium frame sector operated steadily overall this week. Sample enterprises maintained stable operating rates, and industry leaders kept capacity at relatively high utilisation levels. Among them, a frame enterprise in the Hebei region reported that it will maintain full production in September. From the downstream supporting side, PV module prices have continued to rise recently, squeezing profit margins for end-user projects and dragging down downstream purchasing and stockpiling willingness. According to an SMM survey, domestic module enterprises' scheduled production in September is expected to pull back by approximately 1.7 GW M-o-M from August. End-user module output is weakening marginally, and the pullback in downstream module scheduled production...
What happens when the world’s biggest bauxite supplier produces too much of the one commodity it dominates? Guinea’s bauxite market is offering a striking answer. Record exports have strengthened its position in global trade, but the surge in supply has also pushed prices lower. Australia, meanwhile, continues to command a premium, even as prices across the market weaken. Guinea’s FOB bauxite price is forecast at around USD 34–46 per dry metric tonne in 2026, while Australia’s FOB price is forecast at around USD 39.15 per wet metric tonne in FY26. So why does Australian bauxite continue to hold a different price position when Guinea is supplying the market at such enormous volumes? The answer begins with quality, but it does not end there. Ore characteristics, freight costs, mining...
Vishay Intertechnology has now put this capability to use in its new CHEP series thin film chip resistors, built on an aluminium nitride substrate. The company has expanded its resistor portfolio with the launch of the CHEP series thin film chip resistors. The new components combine high power handling with broad frequency performance for telecom, aerospace, defence and advanced radio-frequency systems. According to the company, the CHEP series is available in compact 0402 and 0603 case sizes. The 0402 device carries a standard power rating of 1.2 W, while the 0603 version is rated at 1.8 W. When mounted in accordance with the datasheet specifications, their respective power ratings rise to 1.8 W and 2.8 W. The resistors are designed to operate across a broad frequency range. In the 0402...
Aditya Birla Group has entered the wires and cables business with an investment of INR 18 billion (USD 190 million), launching the new business under the name Ultravolt. Chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla said the group's experience with aluminium and copper will be important in the new business, particularly for maintaining product quality, performance and consistency. He added, "Our core right to win is rooted in a deep understanding of the product and its underlying components.” According to the group, copper and aluminium together account for around 80 per cent of the cost of wires and cables. Explore aluminium casting demand forecast in the transportation sector, explore our report " Global Aluminium Casting Market 2026-2032: Plant Economics, Alloy Segmentation, Pricing Intelligence,...
LME aluminium prices moved higher on September 3 compared with the previous trading day, while exchange stocks edged lower and cancelled warrants recorded a sharper decline. On September 3, the LME aluminium cash bid price stood at USD 3,302 per tonne, up 1.46 per cent from USD 3,254.5 per tonne on September 2. The cash offer price rose to USD 3,303 per tonne from USD 3,255.5 per tonne, marking a 1.46 per cent increase. The LME aluminium 3-month bid price stood at USD 3,303 per tonne on September 3, compared with USD 3,253 per tonne on September 2, an increase of 1.54 per cent. The 3-month offer price rose to USD 3,303.5 per tonne from USD 3,253.5 per tonne, also increasing by 1.54 per cent. Further along the forward curve, the December 27 bid price increased to USD 3,215 per tonne on...
Secondary aluminium is increasingly central to Europe’s decarbonisation plans. It is used in automotive castings, construction profiles, packaging and consumer goods and is valued because it can deliver similar mechanical properties to primary metal while requiring a fraction of the energy and emitting far less carbon dioxide. The European Union’s Emissions Trading System (ETS) and the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) have made low-carbon aluminium a strategic priority. As India’s scrap aluminium imports have continued to rise, from 0.88 million tonnes in CY15 to nearly 2 million tonnes in CY25, with a long-term CAGR of about 8.6 per cent, stronger traceability and licensing requirements are becoming increasingly important across the secondary aluminium supply chain. For this...
India’s aluminium recycling sector has matured significantly over the past decade. Secondary aluminium, produced by remelting and refining scrap, now accounts for a growing share of the country’s total aluminium consumption. Recycling aluminium requires up to 95 per cent less energy than smelting primary metal from bauxite, and that energy advantage flows directly into pricing: secondary alloy ingots are consistently priced below equivalent primary material, often by a meaningful margin, without compromising performance for most industrial applications. The Indian market has a wide spread of recycled-aluminium suppliers, from fully integrated, ISO-certified recyclers operating multi-location facilities and supplying global customers, to informal remelters working from single furnaces...
The US Department of Justice has urged a court to dismiss Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond’s lawsuit filed on the proposed USD 4 billion Oklahoma aluminium smelter, arguing that the project would strengthen national and economic security. The move comes as the joint venture of Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) and Century Aluminum facility in Inola faces separate legal roadblocks over environmental impacts and federal funding. In court filings, the Justice Department stated the federal government has worked with Oklahoma “to ensure compliance with federal laws” and argued that the project’s environmental concerns should be addressed through the permitting process. Explore- Most comprehensive and forward-looking industry-focused report — Global Bauxite & Alumina Market Forecast to...
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has indicated Ottawa’s readiness to resume Canada-US trade talks and reach a deal with President Donald Trump, as the tariff debate continues to pressure deeply integrated supply chains. Tariff uncertainty could also pressure aluminium trade, costs, aluminium extrusion and downstream industries on both sides of the border, reiterating the essentiality of a stable Canada-US trade framework. Speaking in Thunder Bay, Ontario, on Thursday, Carney stated that Canada was prepared to negotiate when the US was ready, while stressing that any agreement must offer stability and credibility. To know the aluminium casting demand forecast in the transportation sector, explore our report “Global Aluminium Casting Market 2026-2032: Plant Economics, Alloy Segmentation,...
Iron ore remains Rio Tinto's financial anchor, but growing exposure to aluminium, copper and lithium is changing how investors assess the diversified miner. Rio Tinto is attracting renewed attention among UK-listed metals and mining stocks as its expanding commodity mix creates a valuation picture that looks different depending on the financial measure used. The London-listed mining group remains heavily anchored by its established iron ore operations, while aluminium and copper provide additional exposure to major industrial markets. At the same time, lithium and other critical minerals are becoming increasingly important to its longer-term strategy. That combination makes Rio Tinto's valuation less straightforward than a simple comparison of its earnings multiple with those of other...
Germany and Italy have long been closely linked in Europe’s aluminium extrusion trade. Italy remains a significant source of extruded aluminium for the German market, but the flow has changed considerably over the past few years. The latest numbers raise an interesting question: is Germany simply buying fewer Italian extrusions, or is the country’s demand for the product itself going through a broader transformation? German aluminium extrusion imports from Italy stood at 43,496.98 tonnes in January-May (YTD) 2022. By YTD 2023, that had fallen to 35,197.76 tonnes, down 19.08 per cent year on year. Imports declined again in YTD 2024 to 30,420.46 tonnes, a further 13.57 per cent decrease. Then the fall appeared to pause. Imports in YTD 2025 were almost unchanged at 30,397.72 tonnes,...
Oceania’s primary aluminium industry is facing a fragmented energy transition. While Australia, the leading aluminium producer of the continent, has abundant renewable resources and a well-established aluminium value chain, its smelters remain significantly more dependent on fossil-fuel-based electricity than the broader Oceania region. New Zealand, another major aluminium producer in the region, tells a different tale. The International Aluminium Institute (IAI) classifies Australia and New Zealand together as Oceania, but their smelting power profiles are markedly different. In the Australia dataset for 2023, coal accounted for 58 per cent of primary aluminium smelting electricity, compared with 36.4 per cent from hydropower and 5.2 per cent from other renewables. The 2024 Oceania...
Ireland’s Department of Enterprise has withheld the release records of discussions between its secretary general and Aughinish Alumina management, citing “highly confidential information” shared by the company. The decision comes as scrutiny intensifies over the Limerick refinery’s alumina exports to feed the Russian defence sector and a possible inclusion of alumina shipments in the European Union’s (EU) 21st Sanctions Package on Russia. Department of Enterprise Secretary General Declan Hughes and Aughinish Alumina Managing Director Ciaran Kelleher held several discussions in June and July, including a meeting on June 12 and three recorded phone calls. The discussions took place while Irish officials were finalising a review into Aughinish Alumina’s exports to Russia. The investigation...
India-based Lumino Industries made its BSE debut at INR 109 (USD 1.15) per share, 32.93 per cent above its issue price. The stock later touched a high of INR 113.65 (USD 1.2) and a low of INR 106.48 (USD 1.13), with more than 7 million shares traded on the exchange. Lumino Industries operates in the power transmission and distribution sector. It manufactures aluminium conductors, power cables and electrical wires, including HTLS conductors. It also undertakes EPC work in power transmission and distribution, EHV substations, re-conductoring, railway electrification, solar power and water management. The company’s IPO was subscribed 117.78 times. Bidding opened on August 27 and closed on August 31, 2026, with a price band of INR 78-82 (USD 0.83-0.87) per share. The INR 7 billion (USD 74...
Vedanta Aluminium is using artificial intelligence (AI) and other digital tools across its operations as part of its efforts to improve day-to-day decision-making, logistics, safety and equipment monitoring. At BALCO in Korba, Vedanta Aluminium has introduced four AI-enabled Control Towers to keep track of coal transport, finished goods deliveries and ash management. Using GPS, IoT-based tracking, geofencing, video telematics and real-time data, the system helps teams monitor vehicle movement and manage logistics more closely. The company is also using AI in safety training at its Lanjigarh refinery. ‘Aluminati’, an AI-powered robot, provides real-time guidance and multilingual support. This makes safety training easier to understand. The plant also uses a Heavy Motor Vehicle Driver...
Major aluminium producers have offered Japanese buyers premiums of USD 310-325 per tonne for primary aluminium shipments in the October-December quarter. The bar is 18-22 per cent lower than the USD 395 per tonne premium agreed for the current July-September quarter. The premium paid by Japanese buyers over the LME cash price is closely watched as a benchmark for aluminium pricing in Asia. The latest offers come after two quarters of rising premiums, driven by tighter physical availability and supply disruptions. Premiums increased from USD 195 per tonne in January-March to USD 350-353 per tonne in April-June and further to USD 395 per tonne for July-September , as geopolitical disruptions affected aluminium supply routes and spot availability, while low LME inventories added to pressure...
The London Metal Exchange (LME) aluminium price faltered across the pricing and contract segments on the September 2 close. The trend reflected a contrast of the surge reported in the September 1 session . The LME aluminium cash bid pulled back by 0.18 per cent day-on-day on September 2, down to USD 3,254.5 per tonne from USD 3,260.5 per tonne. The offer shifted to USD 3,255.5 per tonne from USD 3,261 per tonne, marking a difference of 0.17 per cent.to Explore- Most comprehensive and forward-looking industry-focused report — Global Bauxite & Alumina Market Forecast to 2036: Supply–Demand, Trade Flows & Price Outlook On September 2, the LME aluminium three-month bid price contracted to USD 3,253 per tonne from USD 3,260 per tonne on September 1, reporting a 0.22 per cent drop. The offer...
Porsche's 911 GT3 Bergsport swaps its lightest magnesium wheels for forged aluminium, proving that a few extra kilos can make sense when the road gets serious. There are few places where saving weight matters more than inside a Porsche 911 GT3. Yet for its new 911 GT3 Bergsport, Porsche has done something that sounds almost wrong for a car wearing the GT3 badge: it deliberately added weight. Rather than using the forged magnesium centre-lock wheels fitted to the GT3's Lightweight Package, Porsche has chosen forged aluminium wheels for the 100-car Bergsport. The reason is refreshingly practical. Porsche says the aluminium wheels are more durable and better suited to the demanding conditions encountered on Alpine passes. In other words, Porsche has effectively taken its lightest wheel off...
