Europe holds 10% of global aluminium extrusion demand, supported by Germany’s Constellium, France’s Hydro Extrusions & Italy’s Metra
Across Europe, aluminium extrusion has become closely woven into some of the region’s biggest industrial and construction markets. From automotive and transport to buildings and industrial applications, extruded profiles are finding demand across a wide range of sectors. This is reflected in Europe’s position in the global market: the region accounted for 12 per cent of global aluminium extrusion capacity, making it the second-largest regional contributor after China. At the same time, Europe represented 10 per cent of global aluminium extrusion usage, out of total global usage of 35.35 million tonnes . With production capacity and usage shares relatively close, Europe’s extrusion capacity and consumption are broadly at par. If we break down Europe’s 10 per cent share of global aluminium...
H1 2026 sees more renewable energy than ever: Here’s a region-by-region guide to renewable energy supply in the recent past
In the first half of 2025, humanity generated more electricity from renewables than from coal for the first time ever. What led to it? It was possible only because of two decades of falling solar panel prices, taller wind turbines, and governments finally treating clean power like an economic opportunity instead of a favour to the planet. But the renewable energy scenario cannot be portrayed as a single global story. To get the full picture, one has to connect dozens of regional stories moving at wildly different speeds. Some countries are already powered almost entirely by sun, wind and water. Others are still warming up. Here is a tour of how renewable energy supply looks across the world’s regions right now, and who is actually leading the charge. The global scorecard: Renewable energy...
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GCC aluminium production outlook revised for Q2 2026 after April output shock
As the Middle East conflict continues with full force, the Strait of Hormuz remains blocked, and 9 per cent of aluminium production and supply from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) hangs by the thread of uncertainty. Compounded by the damages caused by the geopolitical unrest, GCC completes one-third of the April-June quarter (Q2) of 2026, with a staggering 26.87 per cent month-on-month production decline. GCC April’26 rings warning bells Aluminium production in the January-March quarter (Q1) of 2026 declined in the range of 540,000 to 570,000 tonnes or about 3.7 per cent, slipping from 1.55 million tonnes in the October-December quarter (Q4) in 2025 to 1.49 million tonnes in Q1 2026. As the GCC stepped into Q2 2026, the April aluminium output saw a drastic dip, with the daily average...
From Asia to South America: How aluminium packaging hubs are affected by the Middle East conflict
The aluminium packaging sector, which consumed around 16.70 million tonnes in 2025 and is projected to approach 17.16 million tonnes in 2026, is now confronting the risk of losing 3-3.5 million tonnes of aluminium supply this year. Packaging industries across Asia, Europe, the United States and Brazil are coming under mounting pressure as escalating tensions in the Middle East threaten to disrupt raw material supply chains. The Middle East produced 6.8 million tonnes of aluminium, accounting for 23 per cent of global output. The UAE remained the region’s largest producer with 2.7 million tonnes, contributing 39 per cent of Middle Eastern output. Bahrain followed with 1.6 million tonnes, or 24 per cent, while Saudi Arabia produced 0.9 million tonnes, representing 13 per cent. Qatar...
A resilient aluminium demand in North America: Scrap and FRP drive momentum after sluggish H1’25
The North American aluminium market has witnessed sharp shifts in trade dynamics, the trend shifting with policy changes and geopolitical developments. In 2025, North America’s aluminium market showed signs of recovery, with demand ending the year on a stable note despite economic and trade-related headwinds. According to the latest Aluminium Situation report by the Aluminium Association, the region recorded a modest 0.8 per cent increase in aluminium demand, backed by stronger manufacturing activity in the second half of the year after a weak start. Charles Johnson, President and CEO of the Aluminum Association, noted, “North American aluminium demand showed resilience in 2025, finishing the year essentially flat despite ongoing economic and trade uncertainty.” Explore the accurate...
Indonesia’s 2036 aluminium target signals a 43Mt bauxite demand challenge – here’s the gap and potential roadmap
Indonesia’s aluminium value chain is expanding rapidly, but a critical imbalance is beginning to emerge beneath the country’s downstream ambitions. While alumina refineries and aluminium smelters are being developed at a fast pace, bauxite mine production has not increased with the same momentum, raising questions over whether Indonesia can secure enough raw material to sustain its long-term aluminium strategy. The country is trying to build a fully integrated aluminium industry - from bauxite mining and alumina refining to aluminium smelting and downstream processing. Backed by export restrictions, foreign investment and large industrial projects, Indonesia is steadily shifting from being a raw mineral exporter to a producer of higher-value aluminium products. However, the success of...
From USD 86 to USD 350: how 6 months reshaped Japan’s aluminium premium to become Asia’s new risk benchmark
Japan’s aluminium premium has climbed from USD 86 per tonne in Q4 2025 to an average USD 351.5 per tonne (ranging between USD 350-353 per tonne) for Q2 2026 shipments, being the steepest quarterly escalation in more than a decade and the highest level since the USD 380-per-tonne settlements recorded in 2015. The recently agreed premium has added more than USD 260 per tonne to Japanese buyers’ physical procurement costs within 6 months, pushing delivered aluminium prices above USD 3,800 per tonne. The scale and speed of the escalation have fundamentally altered the role of the Japan Main Port (MJP) premium, long regarded as Asia’s benchmark for physical aluminium shipments. Historically, the premium largely reflected freight economics, regional demand and availability. In 2026, it has...
Delving deeper: Middle East aluminium crisis rattles domestic and global downstream supply chains
Over the years, the Middle East has been a notable contributor to the global primary aluminium production and trade. Out of the 6-6.5 million tonnes produced in the region, 5-5.5 million tonnes are exported, underlining the lion’s share of the production being shipped overseas. This share accounts for about 9 per cent of the total primary aluminium trade volume in the global market. However, it is interesting to note that the Middle Eastern region, particularly the Gulf Cooperation Council, also contributes to the trade and export of aluminium downstream products. Discover: The Gulf aluminium market risks, China impact, and logistics disruptions shaping pricing and trade in the Gulf Disruption Roadmap Uday Patel, Principal Analyst at Wood Mackenzie, noted, “What this disruption highlights...
Aluminium scrap imports drop 16% y-o-y in Q1CY'26. Will India face tighter supplies in Q2?
India's aluminium scrap imports declined by 16 per cent Y-o-Y to 0.35 tonnes in Q1CY'26, down from 0.42 tonnes in the corresponding period last year. The country remains heavily dependent on imports, with nearly 85 per cent of its aluminium scrap requirement sourced from overseas. As a result, the decline in arrivals has had a direct impact on domestic secondary producers, who rely on a consistent inflow of scrap to sustain production. The downturn has been driven by a combination of volatile LME prices, constrained global supply, and currency pressures, which have elevated landed costs and weakened fresh booking activity. This situation has been further aggravated by escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, which have disrupted key trade flows, increased freight and insurance...
Mozal shutdown exposes Africa’s aluminium production vulnerability as Q1 2026 output falls 6.2%
Africa’s aluminium sector entered 2026 facing a difficult question: how exposed has the continent’s supply chain become to power disruptions and concentrated production risks? The concern intensified after regional aluminium production declined to 381,000 tonnes in Q1 2026, marking a 6.2 per cent drop from 406,000 tonnes in Q4 2025 and a 3.3 per cent Y-o-Y decline compared with 394,000 tonnes in Q1 2025. The decline exposed how dependent Africa’s aluminium chain remains on concentrated production hubs, fragile electricity systems and climate-sensitive infrastructure. Africa’s aluminium output looked stable through 2025 - so what changed? For much of 2025, Africa’s aluminium production remained relatively balanced. Output increased from 394,000 tonnes in Q1 2025 to 407,000 tonnes in Q2,...
What happens to aluminium when supply, energy and carbon collide: A market simultaneously facing scarcity, costs and power risks
The global primary aluminium industry has entered 2026 with a very different market condition from the one that defined the past decade. What was once a story of supply abundance, Chinese expansion and cyclical price swings is now turning into one of scarcity, geopolitical fragmentation and carbon-driven trade barriers. At the same time, emerging supply hubs such as Indonesia and Guinea are grappling with resource protection, infrastructure tailbacks and rising power needs, while supply shocks in Mozambique, Iceland and the downstream sector are constraining the market further. China’s 45 million tonne ceiling has become the market’s hard limit One of the heaviest and most impactful events in the global aluminium market is the enforcement of China’s 45 million tonne primary aluminium...
China May gasoline demand to contract over 10% Y-o-Y
China's daily gasoline consumption in May is projected to fall over 10 per cent compared with the same period last year, partly due to high prices constraining the downstream demand, aside sustained substitution of electric vehicles, according to OilChem's data. In detail, China's gasoline demand is estimated at around 390.300 tonnes per day in May, rising 6.56 per cent from April but down 10.71 per cent from last May, based on OilChem's analysis. Entering May, the gas stations have launched sales promotions on the backdrop of sound retail margins, easing the constraints on the demand end caused by high prices. However, the May demand is likely to contract over 10 per cent compared with last year, a far more significant year-on-year decline than a normal level of around 5 per cent,...
China’s aluminium exports jump 15% in April amid Gulf turmoil, but can it replace GCC supply?
As tensions in the Middle East continue to disrupt one of the world’s most critical trade corridors, global aluminium buyers are turning towards China in search of supply stability. But while China’s exports are accelerating rapidly, the bigger question remains - can the country truly offset the growing supply risks emerging from the Gulf region? The changing trade pattern is becoming increasingly evident across major markets including India, Mexico, United States, Vietnam and South Korea, where importers are ramping up purchases from China amid concerns over freight uncertainty, tighter supply availability and potential disruptions to Gulf-linked shipments. China shipments jump amid Gulf uncertainty China’s exports of unwrought aluminium and aluminium products climbed sharply in April...
Scaling sustainability: Beverage cans in Africa’s fragmented market
In the global shift towards more sustainable packaging, aluminium beverage cans are often positioned as a near-ideal solution – infinitely recyclable, lightweight, and increasingly favoured by brands seeking both environmental credibility and shelf appeal. In Africa, however, their growth tells a more complex story. Demand is rising, but unevenly, shaped by competing realities: aspiration and affordability, formal industry and informal systems, global ambition and local constraint. Demand for aluminium cans is growing across the continent, though not in the same way as in Europe or North America. Here, the transition remains uneven, unfolding against structural and economic limits. Iris Arsic, the features editor of The Metal Packager, speaks with Chukwuma Ndigwe, recycling team lead at...
India: Aluminium prices rise w-o-w on firm MCX and LME trends
Domestic aluminium prices in India increased w-o-w as of 7 May 2026, supported by firmer trends on the London Metal Exchange (LME) and the Multi Commodity Exchange of India (MCX). As per market assessments, P1020 ingot prices in Delhi NCR rose by INR 4,500 per tonne, or 1.2 per cent, W-o-W to INR 375,000 per tonne on 7 May. Similarly, Mumbai prices increased by INR 3,000 per tonne, or 0.8 per cent, W-o-W to INR 374,000 per tonne during the same period. How did Indian and global exchanges perform? Domestic aluminium futures on the Multi Commodity Exchange of India increased W-o-W by INR 4,080 per tonne, or 1.1 per cent, to INR 369,080 per tonne, indicating improved momentum in the domestic market despite intra-week volatility. For forward-thinking aluminium market insights amidst supply...
China’s aluminium overcapacity may become the hidden stabiliser of its renewable power grid
For more than a decade, the phrase “industrial overcapacity” has been shorthand for possible inefficiency in China’s heavy industries — too many smelters, too much idle infrastructure, too much capital trapped in sectors that Beijing has repeatedly tried to rationalise. Aluminium has often sat at the centre of that debate because of its enormous electricity appetite and its strategic importance to manufacturing, transport, defence and energy transition technologies. But a new research is challenging that entire narrative. Instead of treating overcapacity as a burden, the study argues that China’s surplus aluminium-smelting capacity could become a critical flexibility tool for a renewable-heavy electricity system. Excess smelting capacity may function as a seasonal balancing mechanism for...
Global alumina production drops 6.1% in Q1 2026 as major markets retreat Q-o-Q, while North America moves against the trend
Global metallurgical-grade alumina production lost momentum in Q1 2026 after several key producing regions scaled back from the exceptionally strong output levels seen at the end of 2025, with North America emerging as the only region to register quarter-on-quarter growth, albeit marginally. China underwent widespread refinery maintenance and environmental shutdowns, Asia & Africa normalised after aggressive year-end production pushes, while Europe and Oceania continued battling energy pressures, maintenance activity and operational disruptions. These combined factors pulled global alumina production down 6.1 per cent quarter-on-quarter to 35.4 million tonnes in Q1 2026 from 37.7 million tonnes in Q4 2025. However, compared with Q1 2025, worldwide output remained broadly stable, rising...
Indian auto acceleration attracts global suppliers; aluminium supply takes centre stage
As ongoing geopolitical tensions of the Middle East conflict and the resulting inflation and shifting market dynamics bring Europe and the United States to experience a fading demand in the automotive industry, including Ford Motor Company, Stellantis, General Motors, and Volkswagen Group, auto component manufacturers eye the automotive market of India, which has been displaying robust growth. Since the 1991 de-licensing, the sector has been backed by the ‘Make in India’ initiative. The post-pandemic boom cemented India’s position as the fourth-largest player in automobile production on the global platform. Explore- Most accurate data to drive business decisions with Global ALuminium Industry Outlook 2026 across the value chain Although India does not remain untouched by the impacts of...
US' declining bauxite imports in 2025: A critical overview
The United States has long been a net importer of bauxite, owing to the small domestic reserves located in Arkansas, Alabama, and Georgia. This trend has not changed much except the numbers going up or down in 2025. Jamaica and Turkey, the only two primary exporters of bauxite to the US, have remained firm, albeit the amount dropped year-on-year, leading to the decline in the United States’ total bauxite imports. Factors driving the decline in the US bauxite imports The erosion of alumina refining capacity in the domestic market from 5 million tonnes in 2000 to nearly 600,000 tonnes today has practically reduced the demand for bauxite in the United States. At present, only one refinery - Atlantic Alumina’s Gramercy plant in Louisiana is running but at its one-third capacity, producing...
Here’s why we deduce red mud to be aluminium industry’s next resource frontier
For decades, the aluminium industry has lived with a structural contradiction: for every tonne of alumina produced, it generated up to 1.5 tonnes of highly alkaline waste. That equation has now reached a breaking point. With global alumina output crossing 141 million tonnes in 2023 and 154 million tonnes in 2025, annual bauxite residue generation has already exceeded 175 million tonnes. The cumulative stockpile stands at an estimated 4 billion tonnes, making it one of the largest untapped secondary mineral reserves on the planet. In 2026, that legacy is no longer being managed. It is being mined. Not sustainability alone, but a convergence of economics, regulation, and geopolitics Red mud, long treated as a disposal liability due to its pH of 10-13 and contamination risks, is now being...
