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...
Grow with
AL Circle
The National Award for Export Excellence – Star performer for 2017-18 has been awarded to Jindal Aluminium. This prestigious award by the Engineering Export Promotion Council (EEPC) has recognised Jindal Aluminium as the highest exporter in the group of 'aluminium & articles thereof’ under Large Enterprise Category.' The trophy and certificate of this honour has been presented to Anil Agarwal, President of Jindal Aluminium at an event in New Delhi by BS Bhalla, additional secretary, Ministry of Commerce in the presence of other dignitaries of EEPC-India, Kamna Raj Aggarwal, regional chairperson, Mahesh K Desai, Sr. VC, Ravi Sehgal, Chairman, and Arun Kumar Garodia, VC. Pragun Jindal Khaitan said, “We are very humbled to have been honoured on such a valued platform. We as an organisation...
According to Shanghai Metals Market, Shandong Weiqiao Group, the top aluminium producer in China has raised the benchmark purchasing price of prebaked anode for the second month in a row. For March 2020, the company has hiked the benchmark purchasing price by RMB 210 per tonne to RMB 2,830 per tonne in cash. The benchmark price by acceptance is set at RMB 2,865 per tonne. The prebaked anode price in the east has recorded an increase of RMB 210 per tonne to RMB 3,000 per tonne on March 2, after remaining flat at RMB 2,790 per tonne since February 4. The price is likely to move within a range of RMB 2,830- 3,170 per tonne. The markets in the central and southwest China have also witnessed an increase of RMB 210 per tonne and RMB 100 per tonne to RMB 3,060 per tonne and RMB 3,370 per tonne....
The US dollar declined to a 20-week low against the Japanese yen on last Friday. LME base metals closed mostly lower on Friday. But LME aluminium gained 0.65%. Three-month LME aluminium fell to the lowest level since November 2016, at US$1,665 per tonne. But it closed 0.65% higher on the day at US$1,701.5 per tonne. The contract is likely to trade between US$1,670-1,710 per tonne today. As on Friday February 28, LME aluminium cash (bid) price stands at US$ 1662.5 per tonne, LME official settlement price stands at US$ 1663 per tonne; 3-months bid price stands at US$ 1679 per tonne, 3-months offer price is US$ 1680 per tonne; Dec 21 bid price stands at US$ 1808 per tonne, and Dec 21 offer price stands at US$ 1813 per tonne. The LME aluminium opening stock dropped to 1082150 tonnes. Live...
Magnitude 7 Metals LLC, a 50-year-old aluminium smelter on the banks of the Mississippi in southeastern Missouri, is losing money in all means that it might close down within the next 60 days, as per one of the senior executive of the plant. In 2018, the bankrupted aluminium smelter was re-opened, followed US President Donald Trump’s additional tariffs imposed on aluminium importation. The tariffs generally do not cover the value-added aluminium products being shipped to the United States by overseas competitors, undercutting the company's position. Magnitude 7 Metals, CEO, Charles Reali said: “The rest of the world has gamed the tariffs, in our opinion. The Commerce Department tried to help, but missed the mark." The formidable outlook for Magnitude 7 has been worsening by the...
Africa produced 136,000 tonnes of primary aluminium in January 2020, a decrease of 2.86 per cent from 140,000 tonnes in January 2019. The output reduced by 2.16 per cent from December 2019’s production of 139,000 tonnes but increased 2.26 per cent from November 2019’s production of 133,000 tonnes, according to the latest data showed by the International Aluminium Institute (IAI). IAI reported that primary aluminium production in Africa came in at 1.643 million tonnes in 2019 as compared to 1.668 million tonnes in 2018. That was down 1.5 per cent year-on-year. Global primary aluminium production stood at 5.451 million tonnes in January 2020, an increase of 0.57% from 5.420 million tonnes in January 2019. The output inched up by 0.22% month-on-month. In 2019, primary aluminium came in at...
Rio Tinto, which developed a reservoir to power the aluminium smelter in Kitimat, B.C., has signed a New Day agreement with the Cheslatta Nation, promoting the social and economic well-being of the Cheslatta. Rio Tinto’s Kitimat aluminium smelter relies on electricity generated at its hydro-electric plant at Kemano, about 80km from the town. The development of the community will be through training, employment, business opportunities and environmental stewardship. Cheslatta Chief, Corrina Leween, said: "To create a sustainable economy for the present and the future generations are the biggest benefits that I see out of the agreement.” "We were always hopeful that we would see this day and it has happened." Leween also said: “Cheslatta students will also have access to scholarships, with...
United Company Rusal, the world’s second-largest aluminium company by primary production, posted that its primary aluminium output in the whole year of 2019 remained flat at 3.757 million tonnes, in contrast to 3.756 million tonnes in 2018. In the fourth quarter of the year, the growth in primary aluminium output was marginal. From 942,000 tonnes in Q3, the production grew to 949,000 tonnes in Q4, up by about 1 per cent. Production of Rusal’s aluminium foil and packaging products remained flat in Q4 2019 at 25,000 tonnes, but in the whole year increased by 10.2 per cent from 89,000 tonnes in 2018 to 98,000 tonnes. Aluminium sales in Q4 totalled at 1.107 million tonnes, up 1.5 per cent from 1.091 million tonnes in Q3. During that period, sales of value-added products (VAP) increased to...
Hindalco Industries Ltd has reduced the prices of aluminium ingots by 1.26% on Friday, 28 February 2020, after raising it by 1.09% on Wednesday. With effect from February 28, the aluminium ingot price now stands at INR 137,250 per tonne, from INR 139,000 per tonne on February 26. The company has dropped the prices of wire rods and billets by 1.17% and 1.2% from February 26. The prices for Hindalco products now stand at INR 147,850 per tonne and INR 143,850 per tonne, from INR 149,600 per tonne and INR 145,600 per tonne. The Indian aluminium producers generally link prices of its products to the three-month futures of aluminium on London Metal Exchange. The three-month futures of aluminium are down nearly 7% in the current quarter due to slower demand in China following the coronavirus...
The US dollar fell on Thursday as investors bet the Federal Reserve would cut interest rates to offset the impact of the spreading coronavirus amid the rapid rise in the number of COVID-19 cases. The dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of other currencies, slipped to 98.36, the lowest level since February 6, and ended down 0.65 per cent at 98.47. Three-month LME aluminium slipped to the lowest level in three years at US$ 1,682.5 per tonne before it closed 0.68 per cent lower on the day at US$ 1,690.5 per tonne. While LME aluminium inventories extended slide and the US dollar softened, prices of the base metals will remain under pressure before the epidemic is contained. Today, LME aluminium is expected to trade at US$ 1,670 per tonne to US$ 1,710 per tonne. As of...
One of the world’s biggest aluminium extrusions manufacturer, China Zhongwang Holdings, on Wednesday, February 26, announced that it would sell its loss-making smelter for $655.94 million. According to the report, Zhongwang has agreed to sell its 100 per cent stake in Zhongwang Aluminium Material, the unit that holds 800,000 tonnes per annum of primary aluminium smelting capacity in China’s North-eastern Liaoning province. Yidian Holding Group will purchase the smelter, which will make its capacity double than its existing 600,000 tonnes per annum. "Due to the high production costs including costs of electricity, the electrolytic aluminium business has been loss-making in recent years," Zhongwang said in a statement. Zhongwang noted that in 2018 and 2019, the unit recorded net losses of...
According to Shanghai Metals Market, the social inventories of primary aluminium in China have continued to trend higher this week, as demand has recovered slowly than expected. The SMM data shows, the inventories have built up by 155,000 tonnes over the week across eight major consumption areas, including SHFE warrants, to come in at 1.385 million tonnes, as of Thursday, February 27. On last Thursday, February 20, the inventories stood at 1.23 million tonnes after increasing by 137,000 tonnes from the previous week. The below chart indicates the current status of primary aluminium inventories across China in more details: In Wuxi, Shanghai, and Nanhai, the inventories have increased by 80,000 tonnes, 10,000 tonnes, and 68,000 tonnes week-on-week to stand at 527,000 tonnes, 121,000...
Just when the demand for aluminium was rebounding and manufacturing revival was showing encouraging signs towards the end of 2019, the deadly Coronavirus made its appearance in China at the beginning of 2020 and took a toll on almost all parts of the world. The global aluminium market in 2019 was anyway shaken by the economic downturn, resulting in production cut at refineries and smelters and drops in sales of end-users products. However, some expectations of a demand recovery were resting on China, which now reflects no promising scenario for the near-term, at least. The virus and the accompanying quarantine measures have since chilled economic activity, a short-term demand for the metal is least expected to have a turnaround time. The London Metal Exchange (LME) aluminium price, which...
The US dollar index was little changed on Wednesday as coronavirus headlines sapped sentiment. The dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of other currencies, edged up 0.14% and ended at 99.12. LME base metals fell for the most part. LME aluminium went flat. Three-month LME aluminium ended at US$1,702 per tonne after slipped to a session low of US$1,690 per tonne. LME aluminium inventories extended their slide, which coupled with better-than-expected US new home sales data, underpinned aluminium prices. The contract is likely to trade between US$1,680-1,720 per tonne today. As on Wednesday February 26, LME aluminium cash (bid) price stands at US$ 1676 per tonne, LME official settlement price stands at US$ 1676.5 per tonne; 3-months bid price stands at US$ 1696 per...
Rio Tinto has announced its full-year financial results of 2019, where it reveals strong safety performance with no fatalities and a slightly improved all injury frequency rates, coming from a strong base. The company’s net cash generated from operating activities stood at US$ 14.91 billion, up 26 per cent from US$ 11.82 billion in 2018. Free cash flow, as a result, rose by 31 per cent from US$ 6.97 billion to US$ 9.15 billion. Both are presented after $0.9 billion tax paid in 2019 relating to the 2018 coking coal disposals. Rio’s 2019 capital expenditure remained consistent at US$ 5.48 billion, compared to US$ 5.43 billion in the previous year. Underlying EBITDA and underlying earnings came in at US$ 21.19 billion and US$ 10.37 billion, respectively, recording a growth of 17 per cent and...
The US dollar index declined on Tuesday, 25 February 2020. The dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of other currencies, dipped 0.3% and ended at 98.97. LME base metals traded mostly higher. LME aluminium gained 0.2%. Three-month LME aluminium rebounded on short-covering, hitting a session high of US$1,715 per tonne and closed up 0.18% on the day at US$1,702 per tonne. The contract is likely to trade between US$1,680-1,720 per tonne today. As on Tuesday February 25, LME aluminium cash (bid) price stands at US$ 1683 per tonne, LME official settlement price stands at US$ 1685 per tonne; 3-months bid price stands at US$ 1704 per tonne, 3-months offer price is US$ 1705 per tonne; Dec 21 bid price stands at US$ 1835 per tonne, and Dec 21 offer price stands at US$ 1840 per...
The economic downturn in many regions of the world, particularly in China, combined with trade issues raised by the US, resulted in significant slow-down in aluminium demand in 2019. Contrary to our expectations at the beginning of the year, the demand growth was barely 0.5% in 2019, owing to weak demand from the automobile, building & construction sectors around the globe. The total aluminium usage across the world, comprising primary and recycled metal, was near stagnant at 88.1 million tonnes throughout the year. Towards the year-end, however, the Chinese and the US Governments were moving towards a preliminary agreement. But lack of clarity on resolving the trade issues will leave the aluminium industry in some uncertainty, for at least, during the first half of 2020. While the...
AlCircle takes pleasure in announcing that it has launched the second edition of its flagship e-magazine “Aluminium LeaderSpeak 2020” . It is an exclusive e-magazine, whereby top industry leaders from the complete aluminium value chain have shared their views on how the year may transpire for them as an organisation as well as for the industry. They have also shared their business strategies and outlook for the Aluminium Industry to wind up in 2020. The year 2019 was an aftermath of trade wars, restrictive tariffs, sanctions, capacity cuts, and price volatility that impacted the entire aluminium value chain. Incessant drops in aluminium prices and input costs amidst low demand for the metal, both globally and China, were the recurrent scenario throughout the year. <iframe width="500"...
North America’s primary aluminium production increased by 1.23 per cent year-on-year to 330,000 tonnes in January. On a month-on-month comparison, the output rose 1.85 per cent from 324,000 tonnes. For the full year 2019, the output stood slightly higher at 3.809 million tonnes, an increase of 0.93 per cent from 3.774 million tonnes in 2018, according to the latest data showed by the International Aluminium Institute (IAI). South America produced 97,000 tonnes of primary aluminium in January 2020, an increase of 18.29 per cent from 82,000 tonnes in January 2019. The output inched up by 1.04 per cent from December 2019’s production of 96,000 tonnes. Primary aluminium production declined from 1.164 million tonnes in January-December 2018 to 1.079 million tonnes in January-December 2019....
