China aluminium exports jump 17.2% Y-o-Y in August as overseas shipments remain strong

China exported 626,000 tonnes of unwrought aluminium and aluminium products in August, with shipments up 17.2 per cent year on year despite a 2.6 per cent monthly decline.

China's aluminium exports remained firmly above year-earlier levels in August, highlighting continued strength in overseas shipments even as monthly volumes eased from July.

According to data from the General Administration of Customs of China (GACC), exports of unwrought aluminium and aluminium products reached 626,000 tonnes in August, down 17,000 tonnes from 643,000 tonnes in July.

Despite the monthly decline, August exports were 17.2 per cent higher than the 534,000 tonnes shipped in the same month last year.

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4.67 million tonnes exported through August

China exported approximately 4.67 million tonnes of unwrought aluminium and aluminium products during the first eight months of 2026, an increase of 16.7 per cent from the same period a year earlier.

The monthly decline was relatively modest compared with the scale of the year-on-year increase, leaving August shipments above the 600,000-tonne mark.

August dip follows strong July shipments

The 2.6 per cent decline in August therefore represents a modest correction from that level rather than a reversal of the wider annual growth trend.

The latest customs data covers unwrought aluminium and aluminium products, providing a broad measure of China's overseas aluminium shipments.

With cumulative exports already approaching 4.7 million tonnes by the end of August, China's aluminium trade remains significantly higher than it was during the corresponding period of 2025.

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