Canada's bauxite imports estimated to decline 5.6% YoY in 2016

Canada is one of the lowest cost aluminium producers in the world. The three major aluminium producers here are Alcoa, Aluminerie Alouette, and Rio Tinto. However, bauxite is not mined in this North American country; it is only refined here. The aluminium-bearing ore is shipped from across the world to Canadian alumina refineries in Quebec and Kitimat, where low cost hydro power is available in abundance to facilitate bauxite processing. The refined mineral is then exported globally.  

In 2014, Canada imported 3.87 million tonnes of bauxite for processing which shrunk 4.6% to total at 3.69 million tonnes in 2015. In 2016, total bauxite import in Canada is estimated to decline further to reach 3.48 million tonnes, down 5.69% from 2015.


Value-wise, total bauxite imports in Canada reached US$117.2 million in 2014. The figure improved marginally, up 1.19% year-on-year to total at US$118.6 million in 2015. In 2016, total Canadian bauxite import is estimated to be valued at US$111.1 million, marking a decline of 6.3% from 2015 and 5.2% from 2014. The declines in realization of the import value, however, are linked to global bauxite price movements and a number of key macroeconomic factors.


Canada is currently the third largest aluminium producing country in the world after China and Russia. It produces around 3,145 thousand tonnes of aluminium in a year. As per latest data published by the Aluminum Association, in cooperation with the Aluminum Association of Canada, primary aluminium production in North America (U.S. and Canada) was at an annual rate of 3,981,466 tonnes during October 2016 which recorded a rise of 13,428 tpy (+0.3%) from 3,968,038 tonnes in September 2016. The production rate Canada edged higher while the U.S. production rate dropped 1.4% month-on-month.

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With the application area expanding across industries, demand from packaging and lightweight, electric-vehicle segments surging, and the rate of secondary aluminium production increasing in this part of the globe, the aluminium output capacity is slated to rise significantly. This will further bolster the growth of bauxite imports in Canada over the long term.