India's aluminium market is expected to record stronger demand in the second quarter of FY2026-27, with consumption estimated to reach 1.735 million tonnes, a 6 per cent increase from the corresponding period last year, according to Hindalco Industries Ltd. Growth is being driven primarily by demand from the automotive and electrical sectors, highlighting the expanding role of aluminium across key industrial applications. Hindalco's Q2 FY2027 presentation estimates Indian aluminium demand at 1.735 million tonnes, compared with 1.643 million tonnes in Q2 FY2026. The latest estimate also represents a recovery from the 1.427 million tonnes recorded in Q1 FY2027. Domestic aluminium supply and imports increase Domestic primary aluminium supply is estimated at 735,000 tonnes in Q2 FY2027,...
Sampat Aluminium Limited reported a net profit of INR 47.4 million (USD 502,121) for the half year ended September 30, 2026, supported by a non-recurring gain of INR 57.1 million (USD 604,875) from the sale of old plant and machinery. The company's revenue from operations increased to INR 1,250.9 million (USD 13.25 million) from INR 811.4 million (USD 8.60 million) in the corresponding period last year. However, its profit before exceptional items and tax declined significantly, highlighting the impact of the machinery sale on reported earnings. The company's profit before exceptional items and tax stood at INR 5.887 million (USD 62,363), compared with INR 62.5 million (USD 662,079) in the first half of the previous financial year. After including the exceptional gain, profit before tax...
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LME aluminium prices advanced on October 30 , with cash and futures contracts recording gains. The Asian Reference Price edged lower, while exchange opening stocks and cancelled warrants declined. Alumina Platts prices posted a stronger increase. Both the cash bid and cash offer rose 1.40 per cent, to USD 3,113.50 and USD 3,114 per tonne, respectively, from USD 3,070.50 and USD 3,071 per tonne. Three-month aluminium prices also moved higher. The bid climbed 0.52 per cent to USD 3,078 per tonne from USD 3,062 per tonne. The offer price also advanced 0.52 per cent to USD 3,080 per tonne from USD 3,064 per tonne. Explore the production, demand and consumption forecasts of bauxite and alumina in our report: " Global Bauxite & Alumina Market Forecast to 2036: Supply–Demand, Trade Flows & Price...
The most-traded SHFE aluminium 2612 contract closed at RMB 23,280 per tonne, down RMB 85 or 0.36 per cent from the previous trading day's settlement price. It opened at RMB 23,375 per tonne during the day and fluctuated within a range of RMB 23,250-23,445 per tonne. Prices traded below the MA5 (23,386.00), MA10 (23,300.00), MA30 (23,570.00), and MA60 (23,778.00) moving averages, weakening again after a rebound and showing a consolidating-on-a-subdued-note structure, with the moving averages above forming key resistance pressure. The MACD DIF (-121.7235) remained above the DEA (-168.5361), with the MACD red bar at 93.6251, indicating some convergence in bearish momentum. The core trading range for SHFE aluminium is suggested at RMB 23,000-23,600 per tonne. The LME aluminium 3M contract...
India's Diet Coke shortage in 2026 exposed an unexpected weakness in the country's aluminium industry. Despite being the world's second-largest primary aluminium producer, India struggled to ensure adequate supplies of aluminium cans when disruptions to Middle Eastern shipping affected imports of specialised can-sheet material. The episode highlighted a structural gap in the domestic aluminium value chain: producing the metal is one thing, but converting it into higher-value finished products is another. The shortage emerged during the summer drinking season, when Diet Coke became increasingly difficult to find on Indian shelves. Quick-commerce platforms reported limited availability as shipping disruptions linked to the Middle East conflict affected aluminium supplies through the Strait...
Tesla's ambitions for its Optimus humanoid robot extend well beyond factory automation, with the company envisioning a future in which robots could support vehicle servicing, logistics and even last-mile delivery. However, turning that vision into a commercially viable product will require more than advances in artificial intelligence and robotics. It will also depend on access to aluminium, critical minerals and the downstream manufacturing capabilities needed to produce increasingly sophisticated hardware at scale. Tesla has already taken an important step towards that ambition. On October 21, 2026, the company announced that Optimus production had begun on its high-volume manufacturing line in Fremont, California. Tesla described the units coming off the line as its first...
Trimet has reduced direct carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions at its aluminium recycling plant in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, by 25 per cent, saving approximately 4,000 tonnes annually through a transition to hydrogen-rich coke oven gas. The new energy supply system, commissioned on October 29, 2026, will power the site's melting furnaces using industrial gas containing more than 60 per cent hydrogen. The coke oven gas is sourced from ArcelorMittal's coking plant in neighbouring Bottrop and supplied to Trimet through Uniper Energy Sales via the existing gas pipeline network. A new supply line, approximately 700 metres long, was installed to connect the recycling facility at Gelsenkirchen's inland port to the network. According to Trimet, coke oven gas generates lower CO2 emissions during...
Investor sentiment towards aluminium has turned increasingly bearish, but analysts believe the market may be underestimating the metal's underlying strength. Despite growing pessimism, resilient demand and historically low inventories could support higher prices, with analysts forecasting aluminium to reach USD 3,625 per tonne in 2027. Discussions with market participants have pointed to unusually negative sentiment towards the metal. However, analysts argue that the underlying supply-demand fundamentals paint a more constructive picture, challenging the prevailing pessimism surrounding the aluminium market. Their assessment follows Norsk Hydro's third-quarter financial results, which showed stronger earnings compared with the previous year but fell short of market expectations. The...
Guinea has emerged as a major driver of Africa’s export growth to China, with its bauxite shipments to the Asian market nearly quadrupling between 2018 and 2025. Chinese imports of Guinean aluminium ores and concentrates, consisting almost entirely of bauxite, increased from 38.2 million tonnes to approximately 149.5 million tonnes over the period. The surge has bolstered Guinea’s position in China’s bauxite supply chain, while the country advances its alumina refining capacity expansion plans. Trade figures highlight the importance of Guinea and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to Africa’s bauxite and copper exports to China, respectively. Between 2018 and 2025, the two countries added USD 25.77 billion to Chinese purchases from the continent, exceeding Africa’s overall net...
Aluminium’s trade map is no longer drawn by smelters alone. Scrap flows, power contracts, industrial policy and specialist grades now shape who secures metal, at what cost and under whose rules. Ten recent developments across Europe, the US, Australia, Japan and Mexico show how recycling, energy and regulation are becoming the new levers of aluminium competitiveness. They also show where traders, exporters and policymakers may need to adjust. Scrap tug-of-war: the US pull, Europe’s leak and the recycling base at stake The pull starts with price. The US UBC scrap benchmark averaged USD 2,322.89 a tonne in July, USD 2,491.22 in August and USD 2,602.51 in September. That is a 12 per cent climb, and it came after a July that opened at USD 2,464.98 and fell to USD 2,270.76 within two days....
Aluminium prices recorded another gain on October 30, extending their late-month recovery as improving Chinese industrial indicators provided a supportive backdrop for the non-ferrous metals market. The latest movement comes amid a mixed demand environment, with stronger manufacturing activity and higher primary aluminium production in China contrasting with a broader slowdown in downstream purchasing. The benchmark aluminium quote reached USD 3,076.8, supported by a positive trading session. However, the recovery remains incomplete, with prices yet to return to the higher levels recorded earlier in the autumn. Aluminium rebounds from its late-October decline The daily price chart indicates a prolonged decline through June, followed by relatively stable trading and intermittent recoveries...
A major police operation in India’s Uttar Pradesh has exposed an inter-district network allegedly involved in stealing electricity transformers and selling their internal metal components, including aluminium wire and copper binding, to scrap dealers. Police in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, have busted an inter-district transformer theft gang and arrested eight people, including a scrap dealer accused of purchasing stolen materials. The operation led to the recovery of aluminium wire, copper binding, transformer coils and cash allegedly generated through the sale of stolen electrical components. The gang reportedly operated across several districts, including Kanpur Dehat, Unnao, Lucknow and Fatehpur. A joint team comprising Chaubeypur police, the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) unit and West...
Aludecor, a pioneer and leader in Metal Composite Panel manufacturing, today announced the official launch of STONESENSE , an innovative architectural surface system engineered to deliver the timeless elegance and visual depth of natural stone without its traditional structural limitations. Inspired by the legacy and enduring power of natural stone, STONESENSE introduces a curated portfolio of engineered stone-finish metal composite surfaces. Developed for modern building envelopes, the series blends tactile aesthetic experience with advanced material performance, offering architects, builders, and developers a lightweight, highly durable and versatile alternative to mined stone. Designed for modern facades & envelopes The STONESENSE series is structured around three distinct material...
China's Yunnan Aluminium Co., Ltd. reported a sharp improvement in financial performance for the nine months ended September 30, 2026, with net income rising approximately 164 per cent Y-o-Y to CNY 11.6 billion (USD 1.74 billion), compared with CNY 4.39 billion (USD 660.96 million) in the corresponding period of 2025 The company's sales increased to CNY 52.61 billion (USD 7.90 billion) from CNY 44.07 billion (USD 6.62 billion) a year earlier, representing growth of approximately 19.4 per cent. The increase in net income significantly outpaced revenue growth, highlighting a substantial improvement in the company's reported earnings during the first nine months of 2026. Explore the production, demand and consumption forecasts of bauxite and alumina in our report: "Global Bauxite & Alumina...
JiaoZuo WanFang Aluminum Manufacturing Co Ltd recorded a 93.5 per cent increase in net income to CNY 1,753.08 million (USD 263.31 million) for the nine months ended September 30, 2026, compared with CNY 905.92 million (USD 136.07 million) in the corresponding period last year. The company's sales rose 19.2 per cent year on year to CNY 5,938.64 million (USD 891.98 million), up from CNY 4,981.54 million (USD 748.23 million) a year earlier. The increase in net income substantially outpaced sales growth during the reporting period. JiaoZuo WanFang's basic earnings per share from continuing operations reached CNY 1.47 (USD 0.22), compared with CNY 0.76 (USD 0.11) in the same nine-month period of 2025. Diluted earnings per share from continuing operations also increased to CNY 1.47 (USD 0.22),...
China recorded a bauxite price of USD 64 per dry metric tonne (DMT) on a CIF basis in August 2026, while India's quotation stood at USD 73 per DMT on an FOB basis, according to the supplied market assessment. The reported USD 9 difference highlights contrasting price levels across the two markets, although different shipping terms make a direct cost comparison difficult. China's CIF quotation includes freight and insurance, whereas India's FOB price covers the material up to loading at the port. Buyers sourcing bauxite from India therefore need to account for additional shipping costs to determine the final landed price. As a result, the USD 9 difference does not represent the actual gap between the two markets' delivered costs. Freight terms complicate regional bauxite price comparison...
Ford has produced more than 5,000 large aluminium unicastings at its Shelbyville Technical Center as it advances manufacturing preparations for the Fathom midsize electric truck, scheduled to launch in 2027. The castings are being used for process testing and prototype assembly at the company's Louisville Assembly Plant. The Fathom will feature two large aluminium unicastings that replace 146 individual structural parts, significantly simplifying the vehicle's architecture. Ford says the approach reduces vehicle mass and improves overall energy efficiency, while introducing a different method of assembling vehicles through its new Universal Production System. The two large structures form the front and rear sections of the vehicle. By consolidating numerous components into fewer castings,...
North American aluminum demand returned to growth in the first half of 2026, but the recovery has exposed a widening gap between market consumption and domestic production. Rising imports of semi-fabricated aluminum products, particularly sheet, have supported regional demand as shipments from US and Canadian producers continue to weaken. According to preliminary industry estimates, aluminum demand across the United States and Canada increased 3.5% Year-on-Year through June 2026, reaching an estimated 13.57 billion pounds (6.16 million metric tonnes), compared with 13.12 billion pounds (5.95 million metric tonnes) during the corresponding period of 2025. The improvement marks a reversal from the previous year's contraction, although imports rather than stronger domestic mill shipments...
Russian aluminium producer Rusal has reached an agreement with Ghana's state-owned Ghana Integrated Aluminum Development Corporation (GIADEC) to jointly develop bauxite mining and alumina refining projects, marking a significant step towards expanding the country's domestic aluminium value chain. Under the agreement, the projects will be implemented through two joint ventures in which Rusal will hold majority stakes. The proposed developments include bauxite mining operations with annual production capacity of up to 5 million tonnes and an alumina refinery capable of producing 1.2 million tonnes annually. The projects will target the Nyinahin bauxite deposit in southwest Ghana, where estimated resources exceed 100 million tonnes, according to Rusal. The agreement was announced during a...
Romania’s aluminium can recycling rate increased to 80.5 per cent in the first nine months of 2026, compared with 75 per cent in the same period last year, according to data published by RetuRO, the administrator of the country’s Deposit Return System (DRS), and analysed by Every Can Counts. The number of aluminium cans returned between January and September was 6.3 per cent higher than in the corresponding period of 2025. The return rate also improved to 85 per cent from 82 per cent a year earlier. Aluminium cans were the only packaging category to record growth in the first nine months of 2026, as the total number of deposit-bearing containers placed on the market declined by 2.4 per cent. The number of cans placed on the market increased by 2 per cent, while plastic and glass packaging...
