North America primary aluminium production up 6.7% in H1 2019; the U.S. registered a growth of 40%

The Aluminum Association, in cooperation with the Aluminium Association of Canada, reported primary aluminium production in North America (U.S. and Canada) was at an annual rate of 3,991,956 tonnes during June 2019, down 13,354 tpy (-0.3%) from the May 2019 rate of 4,005,310 tonnes. Actual production in North America in June 2019 stood at 328,106 tonnes. YTD production rate from Jan-Jun 2019 stood at an annual rate of 4,006,400 tonnes, up 6.7% from 3,756,300 tonnes in YTD 20018.

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The production rate in the U.S. was off 1.4 per cent, while the Canadian rate rose slightly month on month. Compared to a year ago, the North American annual rate was 8.4 per cent above the June 2018 rate of 3,683,641 tonnes.

The U.S. produced 93,042 tonnes of primary aluminium in June 2019, up 48.6 per cent from 62,593 tonnes produced in June 2018. Month on month production was off 4.6 per cent from 97,537 tonnes produced in May.

Canada produced 235,064 tonnes of primary aluminium in June 2019, off two per cent from 240,172 tonnes produced in June 2018. Month on month production was off three per cent from 242,640 tonnes produced in May.

For H1 2019, the U.S. produced 568,113 tonnes of primary aluminium, up 40 per cent from 404,671 tonnes produced in H1 2018. Canada produced 1,418,603 tonnes of primary aluminium in H1 2019, down 2.7 per cent from 1,458,032 tonnes produced in H1 2018.

For H1 2019 North America produced 1,986,716 tonnes (1.98Mt) of primary aluminium, up 6.7 per cent from 1,862,703 tonnes (1.86Mt) in H1 2018.

It is a significant production growth for the North American primary aluminium industry which was reeling under growing import and domestic capacity closure. The U.S. has been constantly showing negative production growth since 2013, running at about 37% of its original capacity and in H1 2019, it has registered a production growth of 40%. Canada’s primary aluminium production however, dropped in H1 2019 driven by labour issues at Aluminerie de Becancour smelter. Canada will bounce back with its nameplate capacity soon as Alcoa has recently signed a new labour agreement with the United Steelworkers.