Germany imports about 200 thousand tons of aluminium foil every year

According to the Product Complexity Index (PCI), aluminium foil is the 275th most traded product and the 281st most complex product. Due to its versatility and multiple uses, aluminium foil turns out to become one of the most consumed aluminium products across the world. Since, aluminium foils are mostly used in packaging applications, developed economies are the top consumers of foil. The top importers of aluminium foils are Germany ($1.09B), the United States ($1.02B), France ($560M), the United Kingdom ($527M) and Italy ($481M).

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As shown by figures released by EAFA, the European Aluminium Foil Association, increasing competition from aluminium foil producers outside Europe continues to put pressure on sales from European suppliers.  We are analysing the last three years export data for Germany to understand the trading trends of this most popular aluminium product.

Germany imported 1, 91,497 tonnes of aluminium foils in 2014, which dropped 0.1 per cent to total at 1, 82,376 tonnes in 2015. In 2016, the volume is estimated to increase to total at 2, 02,579 tonnes. The trend shows increasing consumption of aluminium foil in Germany while indicating the shift towards import. 

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Cost from import of aluminium foil in Germany has however dropped year-over-year. The Cost from import was USD 1 billion and USD 884 million respectively for the years 2014 and 2015. In 2016, the cost of import is estimated to be about USD 899 million. The drop can be attributed to an oversupply of cheaper aluminium products in the international markets.

The top aluminium foil exporters to Germany are Italy, Russia, Switzerland and China. The data shows a decline in import from Russia and a rise in import from China. Italy and Switzerland constantly remain the top aluminium exporters to Germany.