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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Poor summer trades bolstered the US dollar in the beginning of this week. It gained further as surprisingly strong growth in US retail sales in June eased out uncertainties. The index started softening from mid-week and slid to 96.696 towards the end. Improved macroeconomic sentiment buoyed most base metals and LME and SHFE aluminium had a bullish week. All LME aluminium contacts traded over US$ 1800 per tonne mark this week. LME aluminium traded bullish this week and was on a steady upward curve. LME aluminium started the week with US$ 1810 per tonne and continued gains every day to reach two months high yesterday at US$1833 per tonne. Three-month LME aluminium also gained significantly over last week and ended the week at US$ 1856 per tonne. LME aluminium may retest a resistance at...
Indonesia is reportedly planning to spend billions of dollars in building aluminium and nickel smelters and reshaping its mining industry, in a bid to cut decades-long dependence on costly imports to meet domestic demand. Report says the Southeast Asian country is seeking to make building smelters mandatory for the miners. The state-owned first and largest SOE engaged in aluminium smelting, PT Indonesia Asahan Aluminium (Inalum), will designate a fund of $10 billion over the next five years to develop refineries and smelters, said President Director Budi Gunadi Sadikin. According to Sadikin, the company is investing $850 million in building a smelter-grade alumina refinery with1 million tonnes capacity in West Kalimantan. This refinery once completed, is expected to help reduce the...
The US dollar extended its losses against the euro, yen and other major currencies and the dollar index slid 0.54% and ended at 96.696. Base metals traded mostly higher. LME aluminium rose 0.2% and SHFE aluminium climbed 0.25%. Three-month LME aluminium registered the sixth consecutive trading day of increase as it climbed to a high of US$1,857 per tonne overnight after the US dollar weakened, settling up 0.22% at US$1,851 per tonne. With the KDJ indicators moving upwards, it is expected to trade between US$1,800-1,860 per tonne today. As on July 18, Thursday, LME aluminium cash (bid) price stood at US$ 1827 per tonne, LME official settlement price stands at US$ 1827.50 per tonne; 3-months bid price stands at US$ 1844 per tonne, 3-months offer price is US$ 1846 per tonne; Dec 20 bid price...
After remaining restrained on Thursday, July 18, the A00 aluminium ingot price has decided to end the week with a jump of RMB 70 per tonne to stand at RMB 13,920 per tonne, as of July 19, found Shanghai Metals Market. With this rise, the A00 aluminium ingot price is standing RMB 20 per tonne or 0.14 per cent higher from 13,900 per tonne in the same period last month. Throughout this week, since July 15, the A00 aluminium ingot price has recorded continued rises, except for a restraint on July 18, ranging between RMB 13,800 per tonne and RMB 13,920 per tonne. Week-on-week, the price is RMB 200 per tonne higher, as it was at RMB 13,720 per tonne on July 12. This significant increase in A00 aluminium price over the week could be attributed to the improved spot aluminium transactions among...
South32 Ltd reported a 1% quarter-on-quarter rise in aluminium production in the fourth quarter of FY19. Aluminium production increased from 242,000 tonnes in Q3 FY19 to 245,000 tonnes in Q4 FY19. Production stood at 982,000 tonnes for the full year. Hillside Aluminium production increased by 3,000 tonnes to record 715,000 tonnes in FY19 as the smelter continued to test its maximum technical capacity, despite an increase in the frequency of load-shedding events. In Q4 FY19, production stood at 179,000 tonnes, up 2% quarter-on-quarter. “In order to ensure the smelter’s ongoing sustainability and to improve its cost competitiveness, we completed a restructure of the workforce during the June 2019 quarter. Notwithstanding the restructure, which is expected to deliver cost savings from FY20,...
Iran's total production of aluminium declined 32 per cent year-on-year to 62,146 tonnes in the first three months of the current Iranian year (March 21-June 21), the Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organization (IMIDRO) reported. Iran’s flagship aluminium producer Iran Aluminum Company (IRALCO) accounted for 45,976 tonnes of the total figure. That was up 2 per cent from last year's corresponding period. Hormozal Aluminum Company produced 7,799 tonnes, which was a 73 per cent drop on the year. Almahdi Aluminum Company’s production came in at 7,401 tonnes, a decrease of 58 per cent year-on-year. Iran has an estimated aluminium nameplate capacity of 457,000 tonnes per year. Aluminium production is expected to reach 1.5 million tonnes by 2025.
Alcoa Corporation in the financial results of second quarter 2019 declared that its revenue stood at $2,711 million, compared to $2,719 million in Q1 2019. This indicates the company’s revenue remained flat quarter-on-quarter in Q2 2019. The net loss recorded at $402 million or $2.17 per share, in comparison with a net loss of $199 million or $1.07 per share in Q1 2019. The second quarter results include the impact of $400 million of special items, including $319 million from the divestiture of Alcoa’s interest in the Ma’aden Rolling Company (MRC) in Saudi Arabia and $81 million in other special items. Excluding the impact of special items, adjusted net loss improved sequentially to $2 million, or $0.01 per share. The adjusted EBITDA excluding special items stood at $455 million in Q2...
The US dollar softened on lower US bond yields and expectations that the Federal Reserve would cut interest rates. The dollar index fell 0.17% and ended at 97.217. LME base metals traded higher across the board. Aluminium advanced 0.2% and SHFE aluminium lost 0.4%. Three-month LME aluminium rose for the fourth straight trading day as it rallied from a low of US$1,836 per tonne to highs around US$1,848 per tonne, settling up 0.2% at US$1,847 per tonne. Three months aluminium is likely to trade at US$1,800-1,860 per tonne. As on July 17, Wednesday, LME aluminium cash (bid) price stood at US$ 1818 per tonne, LME official settlement price stands at US$ 1819 per tonne; 3-months bid price stands at US$ 1838 per tonne, 3-months offer price is US$ 1839 per tonne; Dec 20 bid price stands at US$...
Shanghai Metals Market data showed that social inventories of primary aluminium across eight consumption areas in China, including SHFE warrants, remained barley changed from a week ago and stood at 1.042 million tonnes as of Thursday July 18. The chart below indicates the current status of primary aluminium inventories across all major China markets: Stocks of primary aluminium in Wuxi, Jiangsu and Shanghai came in at 320,000 tonnes and 201,000 tonnes on Thursday, 18 July 2019, down 11,000 tonnes and 2,000 tonnes from Thursday July 11. Primary aluminium stocks in Nanhai, Guangdong increased 15,000 tonnes to stand at 258,000 tonnes today. Primary aluminium stocks in Gongyi, Henan dropped from 112,000 tonnes to 105,000 tonnes on Thursday, 18 July 2019. A00 aluminium ingot price recorded no...
The US dollar gained as surprisingly strong growth in US retail sales in June eased worries about the American economy. Base metals ended mostly higher. LME aluminium nudged up, while SHFE aluminium rose 0.1%. Aluminium contracts continued upward movement over the day’s trading yesterday. Three-month LME aluminium came off overnight after climbing to a high of US$1,856.5 per tonne, settling higher on the day at US$1,844 per tonne. LME aluminium is likely to trade at US$1,800-1,860 per tonne today. As on July 16, Tuesday, LME aluminium cash (bid) price stood at US$ 1817.50per tonne, LME official settlement price stands at US$ 1818 per tonne; 3-months bid price stands at US$ 1836 per tonne, 3-months offer price is US$ 1837 per tonne; Dec 20 bid price stands at US$ 1938 per tonne, and Dec 20...
According to Shanghai Metals Market, the price of A00 aluminium ingot has recorded a marginal rise by RMB 10 per tonne to stand at RMB 13,850 per tonne, as of July 17, 2019. This marks the third consecutive rise since July 15, followed by a drop on July 12 from RMB 13,800 per tonne to RMB 13,720 per tonne. Improved spot aluminium trading over the weekend as downstream consumers started restocking has buoyed the back-to-back rises in A00 aluminium ingot price this week, learned Shanghai Metals Market. But the overall sentiment of the aluminium ingot price is still found sluggish. Compared to the same period last month, the price stands low by RMB 80 per tonne. The average prices today are expected to range between RMB 13,830 per tonne and RMB 13,870 per tonne, with spot contract to be...
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, a drop of 13,354 tpy or 0.3% from May 2019. The production rate in the U.S. was off 1.4 per cent month on month, while the Canadian rate rose slightly. Year over year, the North American annual rate was 8.4 per cent more than the June 2018 rate of 3,683,641 tonnes. North America's actual primary aluminium production in June 2019 stood at 328,106 tonnes. The U.S. produced 93,042 tonnes of primary aluminium in June 2019, down 4.6% month on month. The volume was 48.6% more from June 2018, which is a significant increase for the industry. For the first half of 2019, the U.S....
Rio Tinto’s aluminium production was 0.8 million tonnes in the second quarter of 2019. Production was in line with the corresponding period of 2018. But production was up one per cent quarter-on-quarter. Aluminium production stood at 1.59 million tonnes in the first half of 2019, unchanged from the first half of 2018. “Excluding the non-managed Becancour operation, where a lock-out constrained operation, aluminium production in the first half was 1% higher than the corresponding period in 2018, reflecting continued productivity improvement.” On 2 July 2019, management and unions at the Becancour smelter agreed a new labour arrangement which will lead to restart of production at the end of July, with full ramp-up expected by mid-2020, Rio Tinto said. “At the Kemano hydro-power facility at...
Poor summer trades bolstered the US dollar yesterday. Base metals ended mostly higher. LME aluminium climbed 0.8% and SHFE aluminium went up 0.3%. Improved macroeconomic sentiment buoyed most base metals yesterday. All LME aluminium contacts settled over US$ 1800 per tonne mark. Three-month LME aluminium climbed to a high of US$1,843 per tonne and ended 0.82% higher on the day at US$1,843 per tonne. The contract is likely to trade at US$1,790-1,850 per tonne. As on July 15, Monday, LME aluminium cash (bid) price stood at US$ 1809.50 per tonne, LME official settlement price stands at US$ 1810 per tonne; 3-months bid price stands at US$ 1829 per tonne, 3-months offer price is US$ 1830 per tonne; Dec 20 bid price stands at US$ 1932 per tonne, and Dec 20 offer price stands at US$ 1937 per...
According to a report on Monday, July 15, Bosnia’s Federation Government has decided that Aluminij Mostar will continue operating for the next six months and should come up with a rescue plan during that period. The problem with Aluminij’s power supplies, however, remains unresolved. On July 10, the smelter closed down its operations after being disconnected from the power grid due to huge debt of about 280 million marka to the state power utility. "The company will be able to exist in the next six months and nobody will be able to block its accounts or launch bankruptcy proceedings,” Zdenko Klepic, the head of Aluminij's supervisory board, said after a meeting between the leader of the Croatian Democratic Union of Bosnia and Herzegovina (HDZ BiH) party Dragan Covic, the Federation's...
Nalco is looking at venturing out beyond aluminium to invest in value added segments like production of high-end alloys for space vehicles and electric cars and lithium battery production; the company chairman TK Chand said this in an interview to Economic Times. The company is also planning to take up merchant mining and mineral trading to diversify its business. Nalco has set up a two new business verticals to focus on lithium-ion battery and merchant mining. The lithium vertical will look at acquiring lithium and other strategic mineral assets globally. Their JV Khanij Videsh India (Khavil) with Hindustan Copper and MECL will be a part of this vertical. They will also engage in mineral trading in this sector. He company plans to explore lithium sources in Gujarat and Rajasthan by...
According to a CNBC report, the White House plans to send the draft of United States Mexico Canada (USMCA) agreement to Congress after September 1 and it is likely to be voted by the end of the year. The White House could submit the bill to Congress as soon as this week to start the approval process. House Democrats are working towards correcting the issues with the existing agreement. Trump’s acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney and Vice President Mike Pence’s chief of staff Marc Short are in favour of setting up a deadline for House Democrats to ratify the deal. However, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer suggests giving more time to consider it. The White House and USTR agree the Trump administration could benefit from another month to sell the deal to members of Congress...
According to Reuters’ calculations, China’s daily average aluminium output hit record levels in June and pegged at 99,000 tonnes, up from 96,000 tonnes in May and also higher than the previous record levels of around 98,400 tonnes in December 2018. But despite an increase in daily production, the total production in the entire month of June totalled slightly lower than the previous month, according to the data from the National Bureau of Statistics. The data shows that in June, China produced 2.97 million tonnes of aluminium, down 2.98 million tonnes in May but up 1.3 per cent year-on-year. The hike in daily output followed a jump in Shanghai aluminium prices to as much as RMB 14,380 per tonne in May, resulting in positive margins for some smelters and incentivising ramp-ups. But in June,...
