Global primary aluminium production experienced a sequential recovery in the third quarter of 2026, supported by the gradual restoration of disrupted smelting capacity in the GCC countries, stronger operational performance in Europe and Oceania, and incremental production gains across Asia and China. But beneath this quarterly improvement lies a contrasting reality - global output remained below the corresponding levels of both 2025 and 2024. According to data from the International Aluminium Institute (IAI), global primary aluminium production reached 18.377 million tonnes in Q3 2026, an increase of 2.1 per cent from 18.003 million tonnes in the preceding quarter. However, compared with Q3 2025, when production totalled 18.683 million tonnes, output declined by 1.64 per cent. Production...
Europe's aluminium industry is facing mounting pressure from rising carbon costs, shifting trade policies and limited willingness among buyers to pay premiums for low-carbon metal. Yet, despite a series of crises since the Covid pandemic, producers remain committed to maintaining their presence in Europe and investing in decarbonisation, said Paul Voss, Director General of European Aluminium. In an exclusive interview with Fastmarkets at Aluminium Düsseldorf, Voss described the European aluminium industry's condition as bruised but resilient. He highlighted concerns over the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS), the potential inclusion of indirect (Scope 2) emissions under the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) and the treatment of aluminium scrap in carbon accounting. Reflecting on...
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Benchmark aluminium price on London Metal Exchange further dropped, although slower, to close at US$1437 per tonne on Monday, May 4, down 0.21 per cent from the previous day’s close at US$ 1440 per tonne. Both LME aluminium cash (bid) price and LME official settlement price extended their decline from US$1,440 per tonne to US$ 1,437 per tonne on Monday, May 4. 3-months bid price and 3-months offer price also decreased, but very marginally, from US$ 1477.5 per tonne to US$ 1477 per tonne. Dec 21 bid price and Dec 21 offer price hovered at US$ 1601 per tonne compared to US$ 1600.50 per tonne on the previous day, meaning up by US$ 0.50 per tonne. LME aluminium 3-months Asian Reference Price totalled at US$ 1476.50 per tonne. SHFE Aluminium Price Trend The Shanghai Futures Exchange (SHFE) is...
Rio Tinto came out with open hands to support local community efforts to fight COVID-19 and its social and economic impacts. The metals and mining giant is contributing $10 million in a multiple of grassroots projects across Canada and the United States. Rio Tinto has taken its stance from the delivery of critical equipment for people working in hospitals to providing practical support to communities and families. The company is contributing to efforts by our partners to help fight the pandemic. Rio Tinto is also supporting projects that maintain and create regional economic development, which is vital for the long-term prosperity of communities where it operates across Canada and the United States. Rio Tinto Chief Executive J-S Jacques said: “Rio Tinto is proud to play our part in...
The US senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell and Representative Suzan Delbene and Rick Larsen have forwarded a letter to President Donald Trump, marking out the administrative failure towards competently addressing Chinese aluminium excess capacity and seek it to emphasize resolving this issue. The excess aluminium capacity of China has weakened prices in the worldwide market and has equally dented US businesses and workers, mostly in the state of Washington. The Lawmakers wrote: “We have a shared interest in addressing unfair trading practices and protecting American jobs in the domestic aluminium industry, but it is clear that your current policies are not working. Two years later, excess capacity in China is still a serious problem for the American aluminium industry.” <iframe...
National Aluminium Co Ltd has extended its aluminium price cut with effect from last Friday, May 1, 2020. The prices of aluminium ingots are now, thus, ranging between INR 135,150 per tonne and INR 138650 per tonne, in contrast to INR 142,150-145,650 per tonne, as of April 23. With the latest cut, the prices of aluminium billets are now hovering at INR 138850 per tonne to INR 141250 per tonne, down from INR 145,600 - 148,250 per tonne in the week ago. <iframe width="500" height="300" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/px_UCmbtoHU" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe> The Indian aluminium producers generally link prices of its products to the three-month futures of aluminium on the London Metal Exchange....
Finland is a Northern European nation bordering Sweden, Norway and Russia. Its capital, Helsinki, occupies a peninsula and surrounding islands in the Baltic Sea. The economy of Finland is a highly industrialised, mixed economy with a per capita output similar to that of other western European economies such as France, Germany and the United Kingdom. The largest sector of Finland's economy is services industry, followed by manufacturing and refining. Concerning foreign trade, the key economic sector is manufacturing. The largest industries are electronics, machinery, vehicles and other engineered metal products, forest industry, and chemicals. Finland’s aluminium ingot import market has been recorded strong though with uneven movement. The total import during 2017-19 has been recorded at...
Benchmark aluminium price on London Metal Exchange dropped further to close at US$1440 per tonne on Friday, May 1, down 1.4 per cent from the previous day’s close at US$ 1460.5 per tonne. As of Friday, May 1, LME aluminium cash (bid) price stands at US$ 1440 per tonne, LME official settlement price stands at US$ 1440 per tonne; 3-months bid price stands at US$ 1477.50 per tonne, 3-months offer price is US$ 1477.50 per tonne; Dec 21 bid price stands at US$ 1600.50 per tonne, and Dec 21 offer price stands at US$ 1600.50 per tonne. The LME aluminium opening stock stood at 1356150 tonnes. Live Warrants totalled 1187150 tonnes, and Cancelled Warrants were 169000 tonnes. LME aluminium 3-months Asian Reference Price is hovering at US$ 1484.92 per tonne. SHFE Aluminium Price Trend The Shanghai...
The US dollar declined throughout the week. The dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of other currencies, stood at 99.501 on Wednesday, April 29. Benchmark aluminium price on London Metal Exchange decreased from US$ 1472.5 per tonne on Monday, April 27, to US$ 1440 per tonne on Friday, May 1. LME aluminium cash (bid) price and LME official settlement price showed a downtrend too this week. On Monday, April 27, they stood at US$ 1472.50 per tonne, which on April 28, declined to US$ 1465 per tonne. On Wednesday, April 29, the price stood further down at US$ 1464 per tonne, and on Thursday, April 30, at US$ 1460.5 per tonne. Extending the downfall further on Friday, May 1, both LME aluminium cash (bid) price and LME official settlement price came in at US$ 1440 per...
North America’s primary aluminium production increased by 5.23 per cent year-on-year to 342,000 tonnes in March 2020. On a month on month basis, the output rose by 8.92 per cent from February’s production of 314,000 tonnes. In the first three months of 2020, the production stood 4.12 per cent higher than the same period last year. The output amounted to 986,000 tonnes, from 947,000 tonnes in the first three months of 2019, according to the latest data showed by the International Aluminium Institute (IAI). In 2019, the output stood at 3.809 million tonnes, an increase of 0.93 per cent from 3.774 million tonnes in 2018. Primary aluminium production in South America increased by 2.25 per cent year-on-year to 91,000 tonnes in March. On a month-on-month comparison, the output inched up by 1.11...
Century Aluminium Company, on Thursday, April 30, announced the first-quarter results of 2020, reporting a loss of 3 per cent in net sales from $435.5 million in Q4 2019 to $421.2 in Q1 2020. Shipments stood flat at 202,905 tonnes in Q1, compared to 202,870 tonnes in Q4 last year. Century reported a net loss of $2.7 million for the first quarter of 2020 and $1.0 million net income on an adjusted basis, compared to a net loss of $4.8 million for the fourth quarter of 2019 and $9.0 million net income on an adjusted basis. The first-quarter results were negatively impacted by $3.7 million of non-cash exceptional items, including a $12.1 million lower of cost or net realizable value inventory adjustment (net of tax), offset by $8.3 million of unrealized gains on forward derivative contracts....
Benchmark aluminium price on London Metal Exchange dropped by US$ 3.5 per tonne from US$ 1464 per tonne to US$ 1460.5 per tonne, as of Thursday, April 30. Both LME aluminium cash (bid) price and LME official settlement price declined from US$ 1464 per tonne on April 29 to US$ 1460.5 per tonne on April 30. 3-months bid price and 3-months offer price also decreased from US$ 1504 per tonne to US$ 1498 per tonne. Dec 21 bid price and Dec 21 offer price hovered at US$ 1624.5 per tonne compared to US$ 1629.50 per tonne on the previous day. The LME aluminium opening stock stood at 1346200 tonnes. Live Warrants totalled 1186625 tonnes, while Cancelled Warrants 159575 tonnes. LME aluminium 3-months Asian Reference Price is hovering at US$ 1507.51per tonne. SHFE Aluminium Price Trend Shanghai...
As updated by Shanghai Metals Market, social inventories of primary aluminium across eight consumption areas in China, including SHFE warrants, continued to trend lower for the fourth consecutive week on strong demand and fewer arrivals. Inventories stood at 1.204 million tonnes in the week ended April 30, down 155,000 tonnes from the previous week. The chart below shows the current status of the primary aluminium inventories across China in more details: Primary aluminium stocks in Wuxi, Shanghai, and Nanhai decreased by 53,000 tonnes, 9,000 tonnes and 40,000 tonnes from April 23 to stand at 524,000 tonnes, 158,000 tonnes and 246,000 tonnes on Thursday, 30 April 2020. Inventories in Hangzhou came in at 120,000 tonnes, a drop of 15,000 tonnes from last week. Stocks of primary aluminium in...
Aluminium Corp of China Ltd, known as Chalco, reported aluminium sales of 860,000 tonnes in the first quarter of 2020. That was down 9.5% from 950,000 tonnes a year earlier on lower demand due to coronavirus outbreak, according to a datasheet for analysts reviewed by Reuters. The output of aluminium stood at 950,000 tonnes, unchanged from last year as smelters kept rates high during the epidemic, lifting inventories. Alumina production came in at 3.57 million tonnes, an increase of 1.8%. Chalco remains the world’s second-biggest listed aluminium maker, ahead of Rusal. Rusal posted aluminium production of 940,000 tonnes for the first quarter. Chalco earlier this week announced that the company’s net profit declined year-on-year on lower sales due to the coronavirus outbreak. The company’s...
The US dollar declined on Wednesday. The dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of other currencies, dipped 0.02% and ended at 99.501. LME aluminium went flat and SHFE aluminium advanced 1%. Benchmark aluminium price on London Metal Exchange dropped 0.07% per cent to US$ 1464 per tonne on Wednesday from US$ 1465 per tonne on Tuesday. As of Wednesday, April 29, LME aluminium cash (bid) price stands at US$ 1464 per tonne, LME official settlement price stands at US$ 1464 per tonne; 3-months bid price stands at US$ 1504 per tonne, 3-months offer price is US$ 1504 per tonne; Dec 21 bid price stands at US$ 1629.50 per tonne, and Dec 21 offer price stands at US$ 1629.50 per tonne. The LME aluminium opening stock stood at 1346775 tonnes. Live Warrants totalled 1196625 tonnes,...
Norsk Hydro ASA has announced its first-quarter results of 2020, mentioning the growth of underlying EBIT from NOK 559 million during the same period last year to NOK 2,247 million. The successful ramp up of production at the Alunorte refinery, reduced costs, and positive currency effects are believed to have contributed positively to the first-quarter results. But these positive effects were partly offset by lower realised alumina and aluminium prices. Separately for bauxite and alumina, Hydro’s underlying EBIT in Q1 2020 came in at NOK 535 million, up from NOK 153 million, attributing to increased production following the lifting of production embargo last year and lower raw material costs. Underlying EBIT for primary aluminium improved from negative NOK 771 million in Q1 2019 to NOK...
Qatar Aluminium Manufacturing Company, a 50% joint venture partner in a successful smelter that produces premium high quality primary aluminium products in Qatar, announced results for the three months period ended 31 March 2020. Net profit came in at QR 10.7 million. “Financial performance of QAMCO during first quarter of 2020 has continued to be impacted by external macroeconomic factors beyond the Company’s control, which weighed on the Company’s financial performance since 2019,” the company said. Revenue stood at QR565 million, down by 14% year-on-year, as the pressure continued on the global aluminium prices and uncertainty building supply surplus on account of decreased global demand. EBITDA stood at QR 166 million for the three months. That was down by 11% year-on-year. Average...
Cherished Alcircle Readers Family, Greetings from AlCircle! We hope you all are staying safe and remaining healthy at this challenging time. The global COVID-19 pandemic is affecting all our families, businesses, communities, and our way of life. During this time, we wanted to reach out to all our readers to acquire their thoughts and insights on the global aluminium industry in regards to the impact of the COVID-19. While COVID-19 is certainly a new challenge for all of us, we remain fully dedicated towards gathering and sharing information of the industry by publishing on our website. As all the major trade shows and events have been cancelled or postponed for an indefinite time, we love to have your thoughts, so that over the coming months it might help everyone related to the industry...
The US Chamber of Commerce experts has warned US President Donald Trump at the odds of using his preceding outlook on the trade deals in the ongoing negotiations between Kenya and the US. According to a report on April 26, The US Chamber of Commerce stated that the United States should work to achieve a single, comprehensive agreement with Kenya that removes barriers to trade and investment, instead of pursuing a phased approach as it mostly does. The Chamber stated in comments submitted to the US Trade Representative: "To be effective, negotiators should work out a comprehensive deal that addresses all issues under negotiation rather than seeking agreement on a subset of issues or pursuing a phased approach.” The US government in recent times concluded partial or phased trade agreements...
The US dollar fell for the second day on Tuesday, April 28, as investors put pressure on safe-haven currencies as they eyed the Federal Reserve’s meeting and rebalanced portfolios ahead of the end of the month. Month-end rebalancing is negative for the greenback, with the US dollar likely to be sold against the euro, sterling, the Japanese yen and the Australian dollar, according to Mark McCormick, global head of FX strategy at TD Securities in Toronto. LME aluminium cash (bid) price as well as LME official settlement price declined on Tuesday, April 28, from US$ 1472.5 per tonne on April 27 to US$ 1465 per tonne. 3-months bid price and 3-months offer price also decreased from US$ 1509.5 per tonne to US$ 1503.5 per tonne. Dec 21 bid price and Dec 21 offer price hovered at US$ 1628 per...
