Germany exports 86% of TRIMET’s aluminium production despite 1.84Mt domestic demand from automotive, packaging & extrusion industries
Germany’s last remaining primary aluminium producer, TRIMET Aluminium SE, has a combined nameplate capacity of approximately 540,000 tonnes per year across its German and French smelters. Yet Germany exported 466,756 tonnes of unwrought primary aluminium in 2025, equivalent to 86.44 per cent of that combined capacity. Exports reached 501,678 tonnes in 2023 and 449,590 tonnes in 2024, while shipments totalled 273,080 tonnes between January and July 2026. The comparison presents an intriguing picture of Germany’s aluminium industry. Despite having a limited primary smelting base, the country continues to export hundreds of thousands of tonnes of unwrought aluminium annually. At the same time, it imported 2 million tonnes of primary aluminium in 2025, more than four times its exports. Why...
Indonesian Aluminium: The shift from mining to smelting
Indonesia is pitched as the next big Asian aluminium hub as the country has released an expansive alumina and aluminium expansion plan, based on the abundant bauxite resource in the country. China has exhausted its aluminium capacity cap and is unlikely to raise installed capacity significantly in the coming years. Additionally, geopolitical conflicts, sanctions, and tariffs have made much of global aluminium capacity inaccessible and vulnerable. This includes Russian aluminium and the Gulf output, along with restricted and costly access to Canadian aluminium for the US smelters. The already tight supply conditions have been made worse after the Iran-Israel-US war that disrupted the Gulf aluminium capacity. Under current supply conditions, India and Indonesia will play a critical role in...
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North American aluminum scrap prices held steady as on 31st August, 2015
The North American Aluminum scrap prices remained unchanged on ScrapMonster Price Index as on August 31st. 1100 Scrap prices remained flat over the day. The prices of 3003 Scrap too were flat at $0.65 per Lb. The prices of 356 Aluminum Wheels and 6063 Extrusions/Fe too were unchanged. The prices of 6063 Extrusions held steady over the day. Meantime, prices of 5052 Scrap and 6061 Extrusions remained flat at $0.65 per Lb and $0.60 per Lb respectively. The prices of Al/Cu Radiators and Al/Cu Radiators/Fe remained flat. Aluminum Radiators and Aluminum Radiators/Fe prices held steady. Aluminum Transformers and Breakage 50% Recovery prices remained unchanged on 31st August. Chrome Wheels and E.C Aluminum Wire prices remained flat over the day. Litho Sheets and MLC Clips remained flat at $0.62...
Fresh buying seen in aluminium, open interest up 3.18%
Aluminium settled up 0.33% at 107.15 trying to rebound as the Chinese government bolsters support for the economy. While last week prices dropped to a six-year low amid speculation that an expanding glut and weak demand will weigh on the Chinese market. Still outlook remain weak as Standard & Poor’s warned it was likely to revise the credit ratings for some miners over the next week after cutting its price forecasts for aluminum along with some other metals and said it expected prices to remain volatile. S&P cut its aluminum price forecasts by 18 percent to $0.70 a pound for the rest of 2015, and by 12 percent to $0.75 for 2016. It cut its outlook for copper prices by 11 percent to $2.40 a pound for the rest of this year, 2016 and 2017. Activity in China's manufacturing sector contracted...
CFTC to meet with Alcoa on LME warehouse reform
The chairman of the US commodities regulator and an executive from aluminium producer Alcoa Inc will meet this week to discuss metals warehousing reform, a spokesman for the agency said on Tuesday. The meeting between US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) chairman Timothy Massad and Alcoa Chief Financial Officer Bill Oplinger will take place on Wednesday afternoon. The meeting comes as the aluminium company has ramped up public criticism of the regulator's intervention in the London Metal Exchange's (LME) warehousing reform plan. The dispute highlights aluminium producers' concerns about the impact of LME rule changes on sinking prices. Recent LME reforms have increased the rate at which metal must be delivered out of warehouses, a response to controversial financing deals, and...
Falling premiums hit big aluminium trading houses
More than the aluminium prices that have declined to six-year lows, it is the sharp fall in “premiums” that is hurting the big trading houses like Glencore and Noble Group. Commodities trader and miner Glencore recently cited the “tough metals trading conditions, particularly aluminium and nickel affected by the collapse in physical premiums” as the main causal factor behind the declining earnings of its marketing division. Noble Group’s metals division has been hit badly too. The Asian commodities trader’s profits before interest and tax in its metals and mining segment fell 98 per cent in the first half of the year. Company officials said the division “had a very difficult quarter as premiums for metals in key distribution locations weakened sharply, impacting the overall business and...
Aluminium falls by 1.4% on global cues
Aluminium prices were down 1.45% to INR 105.60 per kg in futures trading today after speculators trimmed positions amid a weak trend overseas and sluggish demand from consuming industries in the spot market. At the Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX), aluminium for delivery in September shed INR 1.55, or 1.45% to INR 105.60 per kg in business turnover of 597 lots. On similar lines, metal for delivery in October was down by INR 1.15, or 1.07%, to INR 106.75 per kg with a volume of 55 lots. Analysts said off-loading of positions by speculators, tracking a weak trend at the London Metal Exchange (LME) after the official purchasing managers index for manufacturing in China showed its worst reading since August 2012, cementing a broader picture of falling demand in China, weighed on aluminium...
Noranda Aluminum Holding jumps 45.76% on August 31
Noranda Aluminum Holding was among the biggest gainers on the Russell 2000 for Monday August 31 as the stock popped 45.76% to $3.95, representing a gain of $1.24 per share. Some 910,934 shares traded hands on 3,325 trades, compared with an average daily volume of n/a shares out of a total float of 1.43 million. The stock opened at $2.81 and traded with an intraday range of $4.16 to $2.81. After today's gains, Noranda Aluminum Holding reached a market cap of $5.65 million. Noranda Aluminum Holding has had a trading range between $39.48 and $2.16 over the last year, and it had a 50-day SMA of $n/a and a 200-day SMA of $n/a.
Dollar strength is reshaping aluminium industry, Norsk Hydro says
The global currency war that has driven the dollar up almost 20 per cent against peers over the past year is changing the aluminum business, according to Norsk Hydro ASA, Europe’s third-largest producer. At a time of plunging aluminum prices, the dollar’s strength is helping producers such as Hydro and others, including Canadian and Russian companies, whose costs aren’t tied to the U.S. currency, Eivind Kallevik, chief financial officer of the Oslo-based company, said in an interview at his office Friday. “It has improved the competitiveness of many of the producers in these countries,” he said. “It’s more demanding for those with a dollar-based economy, who obviously are in the U.S. but also in the Middle East, where currencies are pegged to the dollar. And the Chinese that have...
China primary aluminium import to continue growing in August
China imported 15,538 mt of primary aluminum in July, up 118.72% MoM and 10.24% YoY, customs data showed. Year to date imports through July totaled 69,365 mt, down 71.25% YoY. Aluminum premiums in Asia held between USD 100-120/mt. The SHFE/LME aluminum price ratio climbed from 7.0 in May to 7.4-7.5 in June, favorable for imports. The price ratio continued rising in July and August, hitting 7.8 at one point. This will further boost primary aluminum imports.
Shandong to ban new aluminium capacity by 2020 in favour of aluminium processing
Shandong Province, one of China’s major aluminum producing regions, has vowed to ban new aluminum capacity by 2020 and focus on high value-added aluminum products. Aluminum capacity in the province totals 9.33 million tonnes, while aluminum production is 6.72 million tonnes, leaving an utilization rate of 72.02%, cnmn.com added. In response to overcapacity, local aluminum smelters are setting foot into higher value-added products, such as aluminum semis used in aircrafts and cars.
Russia's Rusal delays decision on dividend, core profit jumps
Russia's Rusal has decided to delay a decision on its possible first dividend since listing five years ago though its second-quarter core profit more than doubled thanks to cost cuts and a weaker rouble. The rouble's decline supports the world's top aluminium producer by partially offsetting weak aluminium prices, which are already at six-year lows and, according to Rusal, will remain under pressure due to a glut of exports from China. "We expect that (the) aluminium market is likely to remain challenging for the remainder of the year," Chairman Matthias Warnig said in a statement. Rusal's core profit, or adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA), soared to $568 million for the three months to June from $220 million a year earlier, topping analysts'...
Sandusky seeks to spruce up former Thakar Aluminum site
Sandusky officials want to determine if any dangerous chemicals exist at a former industrial site producing aluminum. During a recent meeting, city commissioners gave the go ahead for staff members to pursue an environmental evaluation at 1364 Olds St. — a longtime vacant property previously home to Thakar Aluminum Corp. It is possible an assessment could start and end before 2016 begins. After an appraisal occurs, city officials could leverage an unknown amount of funds to clear, raze and clean the 26-acre industrial site. The goal “is to identify recognized environmental conditions and to relieve the city from future environmental liability should the city consider acquiring the property,” city chief planner Angie Byington said. Similar efforts have recently occurred across Sandusky,...
Dubai's DIC completes sale of alumina supplier Almatis
Dubai International Capital (DIC), the private equity arm of Dubai Holding, has announced that it has completed the sale of Almatis, the supplier of premium alumina for the refractory, ceramic and polishing industries to OYAK, Turkey's largest private pension fund. The completion of this sale follows receipt of all relevant regulatory approvals. Taco Gerbranda, CEO of Almatis, said: "We are grateful to DIC for their support and the strong partnership that we formed during their ownership period. "This partnership was critical in allowing us to undertake very ambitious strategic steps that ensured the longer term stability of our company by extending our global presence, increasing capacity and becoming vertically integrated, with the single objective to better serve our customers. Today...
Vedanta crisis: Odisha to nudge Nalco, Hindalco for interim bauxite supplies
Waking up to acute raw material crisis faced by Vedanta to run its Lanjigarh alumina refinery, the state government has decided to push aluminium producers like National Aluminium Company (Nalco) and Aditya Birla Group promoted Hindalco Industries to make arrangements for interim bauxite supplies. "The state government has called both Nalco and Hindalco for a meeting next Friday. We will discuss the possibilities of bauxite supplies to Vedanta refinery by the two aluminium manufacturers. Since bauxite mining by state owned Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC) would take two to three years to commence, we are looking at options for immediate supplies to the Vedanta unit", said a senior government official. Vedanta has already kicked off the exercise to shut down its one million tonne Lanjigarh...
China alumina imports to fall in Aug after 144% growth in July
China’s alumina imports will fall in August as Chinese alumina is becoming more attractive in prices, Shanghai Metals Market foresees. Sharp depreciation of yuan has made imports more expensive, which will discourage import activity. Calculated at a CIF price of $ 305 per tonne and USD:RMB exchange rate of 6.4, prices for imported alumina would be 2,380 yuan per tonne (including VAT and port charges). The price is higher than those for Chinese alumina Shanxi and Henan, SMM has learned. China imported 545,200 tonnes of alumina in July, up 144.16% from June and 17.68% from a year ago, customs data showed.
Alba to start construction of reduction line
Aluminium Bahrain (Alba) is to start construction of a sixth reduction line, which is expected to begin production in early 2019. The expansion will bring Alba's total production capacity to approximately 1,450,000 mtpa. The company recently marked its 10th year of operations of its fifth reduction line, which was inaugurated by His Royal Highness, Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa. The line expanded Alba’s annual aluminium production by adding 307,000 metric tonnes per annum (mtpa), making it the largest aluminium smelter in the world outside of Eastern Europe with a total output of 827,000 mtpa. To date, line five produces more than 345,000 mtpa of liquid metal as compared to its original capacity of 320,000 mtpa. Alba’s chief operations officer, Isa al Ansari, said:...
Smart Vision Lights' new T-SLOT lights fit in aluminum extrusions
Smart Vision Lights, a leading designer and manufacturer of high-brightness LED lights for industrial applications, is pleased to introduce its new patent-pending powerful ultra-low-cost T-SLOT LED light series featuring diffusing optics. The new series provides a cost- and energy-saving replacement for fluorescent lighting. Priced at just $89 per foot, the T-SLOT LED light bar is compatible with most popular brands of .32”, 8-mm, and 10-mm aluminum extrusions, including extrusions from 80/20, Bosch, Item, and more. These new lights truly offer twice the performance at an ultra-low price. Smart Vision Lights’ redesigned low-voltage 24 V DC T-SLOT LED light bars slide into aluminum extrusions with no extra mounting of additional lighting needed. They are ideal for use in applications with...
Cube introduces 'aero endurance' Agree and entry-level Attain in aluminium and carbon for 2016
Cube has revamped its road line-up for 2016, with the popular Peloton replaced by a new frame dubbed the Attain, available in both aluminium and carbon fibre, and the mid-range Agree overhauled as an aero bike with endurance geometry. Both the Attain and Agree will come in rim brake and disc brake versions Aero endurance Agree is a completely new frame from what’s previously been known as the Agree. Cube describes the Agree as an ‘aero endurance’ bike and it brings together two trends which have emerged in recent years: aerodynamics and endurance geometry. That’s a relatively a rare combination as most bike brand’s pitch their aero machine squarely at the race market, but the Agree takes on a slightly more relaxed geometry than the top-of-the-range Litening, which is Cube’s super-light,...
ASA launches study on repairing hail damaged aluminum vehicles
The US-based Automotive Service Association (ASA) announced a new research project this week concerning the repair of hail-damage of aluminum vehicles. The study is a response to questions raised by the National Alliance of Paintless Dent Repair Technicians (NAPDRT) regarding proper processes for fixing aluminum body panels. The ASA Collision Division Operations Committee will formally document the repair process necessary to restore aluminum panels that have suffered hail damage. “Our goal is to provide an impartial review of the aluminum repair process as it relates to hail damage to dispel any misconceptions that may still exist,” says Scott Benavidez, AAM, ASA’s Collision Division Director. Once completed, the study will be released to the industry for reference when writing damage...
