India will continue to import aluminium bar rods and profiles in 2018, though in lesser quantity

India’s aluminium bar rods and profiles import will continue over the medium term till a significant percentage of the large downstream processing projects get completed. The imports will be necessary to support the massive construction work going on across the grids of the country. According to a recent estimate, India will import 41,530.6 tonnes of aluminium bar rods and profiles in 2018.

India ranks third after China and US as the fastest growing construction market in the world. A new report Global Construction 2030 forecasts the volume of construction output will grow by 85 per cent to $15.5 trillion worldwide by 2030, with three countries cumulatively accounting for 57 per cent of the global growth.

India also ranked third on the US Green Building Council's (USGBC) annual ranking of the top ten countries for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified buildings. There are currently more than 752 LEED-certified projects totalling over 20.28 million gross square meters of space in the country.

Increasing number of LEED certified projects signifies the rising use of environmental friendly construction materials such as aluminium bar rods, profiles, panels, and sheets.

India’s aluminium bar rods and profiles import has been surging on a yearly basis over the last three years. From 32,558 tonnes in 2015, the commodity import rose to an estimated 48,554 tonnes in 2017 (actual numbers awaited).

In 2018, the value of import is estimated to reach US$109 million, down from US$134 million in 2017.