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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As a European industry association, our focus for 2020 is ensuring that new policymakers in the reconstituted European Commission and Parliament understand our industry. Our agenda features a comprehensive set of policy recommendations across four domains: circular economy, trade, energy & climate, and innovation. First, we must convince more politicians that aluminium is a strategic industrial sector to preserve Europe’s competitiveness and critical for the transition to a climate neutral and circular economy. We will also pay close attention to the new policy initiatives that will be introduced as part of the European Green Deal, presented as Europe’s growth strategy for a resource-efficient and competitive economy to make Europe the first climate-neutral continent by 2050. The European...
Today staying competitive means investing permanently in new technologies, helping to reducing operational costs. Not only the technology itself, also the way that you can purchase it will make a difference in the profitability of your operations. At the background of demographic and political changes and in a complex market which – above all – is ruled by aluminium prices, it is more and more key to stay on top of expenditures. Saving by using new technology By implementing Automated Guided Vehicles in the organization, a high and fast return on investment is assured by several factors. One important and immediate saving is labour cost, but also maintenance costs and damages – two important components in the cost of ownership of a fleet – will be reduced in such a way that the ROI can be...
US Treasury bond yield curve inverted for the first time since 2007 on Wednesday, which sparked fears of an economic recession and led to a plunge on Wall Street. The US dollar index rose 0.16% to 97.98. LME base metals closed lower on Wednesday. LME aluminium dipped 0.06% and SHFE aluminium rose 0.3%. LME aluminium gained during day’s trading and closed higher, however, the contracts lost gained overnight with the rising dollar. Three-month LME aluminium slipped to an intraday low of US$1,769 per tonne, before it rallied to end the day a tad lower at US$1,784.5 per tonne. It is expected to trade between US$1,760-1,850 per tonne today. As on August 14, Tuesday, LME aluminium cash (bid) price stood at US$ 1740.50per tonne, LME official settlement price stands at US$ 1741 per tonne;...
According to Shanghai Metals Market, the social inventories of primary aluminium, as of August 15, have recorded a week-on-week rise for the third straight week. SMM data shows that stocks across eight major consumption areas, including SHFE warrants, have increased by 1,000 tonne from a week ago to come in at 1.051 million tonnes. Increasing cargoes arrival at Wuxi and weakening demand in Guangdong in a low season could be the two primary causes for this weekly growth in primary aluminium inventories. In Wuxi, Jiangsu, the inventories have grown by some 10,000 tonnes, while that in Nanhai, Guangdong by some 14,000 tonnes. In other major markets like Shanghai, Gongyi, Henan; Linyi, Shandong; and Chongqing, the inventories have dipped. The chart below indicates the current status of...
National Aluminium Company Limited published unaudited financial results for the quarter ended 30th June, 2019. The company reported 29.91 per cent drop in sales in the quarter. Sales in in the quarter ended June 2019 stood at INR 2084.08 crore as compared to INR 2973.31 crore in the quarter ended June 2018. NALCO reported 85.76 per cent decline in net profit in the quarter. Net profit dropped from INR 687.22 crore in the quarter ended June 2018 to INR 97.87 crore in the quarter ended June 2019. Revenue from aluminium segment stood at INR 1,470.12 crore in the quarter as compared to INR 1,750.97 crore in the previous year. The company had posted net profit of INR 1,732 crore during the FY 2018-19, a growth of 29% year-on-year. In the 4th quarter, net profit stood at INR 233 crore....
According to the National Bureau of Statistics survey, China’s daily production of primary aluminium fell in July month-on-month. Output averaged around 96,000 tonnes, down 3,000 tonnes or 3 per cent from 99,000 tonnes in June. This decline in daily output could be attributed to the production cut at some of the Chinese aluminium smelters in July. According to the research house Antaike, around 220,000 tonnes of annual production was cut in July, including China Zhongwang Holding’s smelter in the northeast province of Liaoning. Jackie Wang, an aluminium consultant at CRU in Beijing, agreed that Zhongwang’s production cut had the biggest impact last month. Also, smelter ramp-up in the southwest Guangxi region progressed slower than expected, said the consultant further. “Basically there...
The US dollar strengthened on Tuesday, after the US decided to delay tariffs on certain Chinese goods while outright removing some items from the tariff list, reigniting hopes that Washington and Beijing could reach a resolution. Signs of easing US-China trade tensions also bolstered oil prices and LME base metals overnight. LME aluminium rose 0.9% and SHFE aluminium fell 0.2%. LME aluminium closed lower during the day’s trading but regained some losses at night. Three-month LME aluminium rallied from earlier lows to a high of US$1,793 per tonne overnight, before it closed the day 0.88% higher at US$1,785.5 per tonne. It is expected to trade between US$1,750-1,850 per tonne today. As on August 13, Tuesday, LME aluminium cash (bid) price stood at US$ 1730.50per tonne, LME official...
After three consecutive rises from RMB 13,880 per tonne to RMB 14,250 per tonne during August 9-13, the A00 aluminium ingot price has registered a decline today, on August 14, by RMB 100 per tonne to RMB 14,150 per tonne, found Shanghai Metals Market. However, despite the drop, the aluminium ingot price is still standing higher month-on-month by RMB 350 per tonne. The average prices are expected to stand at RMB 14,130 per tonne to RMB 14,170 per tonne, with spot contract to be traded at a discount price of RMB 10 per tonne to a premium price of RMB 50 per tonne. Tianjin and Gongyi have seen the highest price plunge of RMB 90 per tonne to RMB 14,110 per tonne and RMB 14,010 per tonne respectively, as of August 14, followed by Foshan, Wuxi, Shenyang, Linyi where the prices have decreased by...
China Hongqiao Group, leading aluminium producer updated on Tuesday that it was operating as normal after its home province of Shandong was lashed out and flooded by Typhon Lekima during the weekend. “The facilities are not damaged by the typhoon. There was flooding outside the factories but no actual facilities damage,” Honqgiao said in an email statement. “Since Hongqiao is a big company and with numerous pre-emptive measures and plans, the company’s operation was not affected,” the statement added. An earlier report on Monday said that a wall of one of the Shandong-based group’s aluminium plants was “immediately overwhelmed” by flood water. This statement was issued by Weiqiao Pioneering, which was owned by Zhang family that owns Hongqiao Aluminium. Hongqiao and Weiqiao are considered...
The US dollar index edged down on Monday, amid trade tensions between the US and China and concerns of slowing global economic growth. LME base metals closed mixed on Monday. LME aluminium slipped 0.2% and SHFE aluminium rose 0.9%. LME aluminium contracts closed the day’s trading lower on Monday. Three-month LME aluminium followed its SHFE counterpart higher to a high of US$1,793 per tonne on Monday night, before it erased those gains to end 0.23% lower at US$1,770 per tonne overnight. This suggested that SHFE aluminium could provide limited traction for LME aluminium, which is likely to trade between US$1,700-1,800 per tonne today. As on August 12, Monday, LME aluminium cash (bid) price stood at US$ 1742.50 per tonne, LME official settlement price stands at US$ 1743 per tonne; 3-months...
A00 aluminium ingot price has edged higher by RMB 300 per tonne or 2.15 per cent today. As on Tuesday, 13 August 2019, ingot price ranged at RMB 14230-14270 per tonne; the average price stood at RMB 14250 per tonne, from its previous price of RMB 13950 per tonne on August 12. In Foshan and Wuxi, aluminium ingot price has increased by RMB 300 per tonne and RMB 265 per tonne to stand at RMB 14240 per tonne each. Their average price is expected to range within RMB 14220- 14260 per tonne and RMB 14230- 14250 per tonne. Aluminium price in Hangzhou is up RMB 290 per tonne at RMB 14255 per tonne as on August 13. Aluminium ingot prices in Chongqing, Shenyang, Tianjin, Linyi, and Gongyi stand at RMB 14210 per tonne, RMB 14190 per tonne, RMB 14200 per tonne, RMB 14210 per tonne, and RMB 14100 per...
In contrast to Thursday, August 8, when the primary aluminium inventories increased by 1,000 tonnes, today, on August 12, the inventories shrank 6,000 tonnes to stand at 1.035 million tonnes, found Shanghai Metals Market. Limited cargoes and steady consumption could be the two primary causes for this decline in inventories, as of August 12. In Wuxi, Jiangsu, the inventory dipped 2,000 tonnes over the weekend to stand at 302,000 tonnes, while that in Gongyi Henan decreased 4,000 tonnes to come in at 110,000 tonnes. In Tianjin, Chongqing, and Linyi, Shandong, the primary aluminium inventories declined as well by 1,000 tonnes to peg at 50,000 tonnes, 24,000 tonnes, and 14,000 tonnes, respectively. In Shanghai, and Nanhai, Guangdong, on the other hand, the inventories rose 1,000 tonnes and...
The US dollar index slipped on Friday, lowered by fresh concerns about an economic slowdown. LME base metals closed lower on Friday and aluminium shed 0.4%.SHFE aluminium inched up 0.04%. Three-month LME aluminium dipped to a low of US$1,770 per tonne on Friday, and ended at US$1,774 per tonne, down 0.39%. LME aluminium weakened along with other metals, and is expected to trade between US$1,700-1,800 per tonne today. As on August 9, Friday, LME aluminium cash (bid) price stood at US$ 1745.50 per tonne, LME official settlement price stands at US$ 1746 per tonne; 3-months bid price stands at US$ 1776 per tonne, 3-months offer price is US$ 1776.50 per tonne; Dec 20 bid price stands at US$ 1870 per tonne, and Dec 20 offer price stands at US$ 1875 per tonne. The LME aluminium opening stock...
According to Shanghai Metals Market, the A00 aluminium ingot price has extended growth over the weekend by RMB 20 per tonne to stand at RMB 13,950 per tonne. This marks the second consecutive rise after the fall on Thursday, August 8, from RMB 13,900 per tonne to RMB 13,880 per tonne. On Friday, August 9, the price grew to RMB 13,930 per tonne. With these two back-to-back rises, the A00 aluminium ingot price is standing RMB 230 per tonne higher, compared to the same period last month. Today, the average prices are expected to range between RMB 13,930 per tonne and RMB 13,970 per tonne, with spot contract to be traded at a premium price of RMB 40 per tonne. The price in Shenyang has seen the highest rise of RMB 45 per tonne to RMB 13,940 per tonne, following by Tianjin and Wuxi, where the...
China’s domestic production of primary aluminium stood 2 per cent lower from a year ago in July 2019, according to an SMM data. Primary aluminium production stood at 3.07 million tonnes, with a daily average of 98,900 tonnes. Production decreased by 1.66 per cent year-on-year to 20.56 million tonnes in the first seven months of 2019. Primary aluminium production received a boost from Inner Mongolia, Shanxi, and Shandong, but lower supplies in the north-east and the north-west weighed on output from a year ago. Established capacity of primary aluminium stood at 40.73 million tonnes as of the end of July, with 36.59 million tonnes in operation. According to an SMM’s anticipation, production is estimated to stand at 3.09 million tonnes in August, driven by growth in Guizhou, Shandong, and...
RUSAL has announced the interim results for the six months ended 30 June 2019 and second quarter and reported a 5.2% decline in total revenue to US$4,736 million from US$4,997 million for the same period of 2018. The decline is attributed to falling LME price which fell by 17.3% to US$1,826 per tonne compared with US$2,209 per tonne for the same period in 2018. Aluminium sales volume increased by 13.2% to 1,978 thousand tonnes in H1 2019 compared to 1,748 thousand tonnes in H1 2018. However, the increase was offset by 15.6% drop in aluminium sales price to US$1,960 per tonne from US$2,322 per tonne in H1 2018. The increase in sales was driven by the partial sell out of surplus inventories of primary aluminium accumulated due to OFAC sanctions. Revenue from alumina sales decreased by 23.9%...
The US dollar edged higher on Thursday, as a lull in US-China trade turbulence, and better-than-expected data boosted risk appetite. On Thursday, China reported trade data that was better than expected despite mounting economic pressure from elevated US tariffs. LME base metals finished the trading day higher across the board and aluminium advanced 1.3%. SHFE aluminium rose 0.6%. LME aluminium regained some losses yesterday after a plunge the day before. Three-month LME aluminium advanced 1.25% to close at US$1,781 per tonne on Thursday. It is expected to trade between US$1,700-1,800 per tonne today. As on August 8, Thursday, LME aluminium cash (bid) price stood at US$ 1737per tonne, LME official settlement price stands at US$ 1737.50 per tonne; 3-months bid price stands at US$ 1768 per...
A00 aluminium ingot prices registered growth across all major markets in China on Friday, 09 August 2019. Ingot price recorded a rise of RMB50 per tonne or 0.36 per tonne from yesterday to RMB13930 per tonne. The average price is likely to range at RMB13910-13950 per tonne. Aluminium ingot price in Foshan increased RMB60 per tonne to range at RMB13910-13950 per tonne as on August 9. The average price stood at RMB13930 per tonne. Ingot prices in Wuxi and Hangzhou rose RMB 60 per tonne and RMB45 per tonne to stand at RMB 13940 per tonne and RMB 13955 per tonne respectively. Their average prices are expected to hover at RMB 13930- 13950 per tonne and RMB 13950- 13960 per tonne. Aluminium ingot prices in Chongqing, Shenyang, Tianjin, Linyi, and Gongyi came in at RMB 13930 per tonne, RMB 13895...
