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 greenback on Thursday hit a high of 98.337 against a basket of key rivals, the highest since May 16, 2017. LME base metals closed mixed on Thursday after the US dollar refreshed its highs. LME aluminium dropped 0.7% and SHFE aluminium edged down 0.04%. Three-month LME aluminium came off from earlier highs to close at US$1,858.5 per tonne on Thursday, down 0.69% on the day. Thursday’s declines in LME aluminium was mainly attributed to the build-up of short position. It is expected to trade between US$1,850-1,880 per tonne today. As on April 25, LME aluminium cash (bid) price stood at US$ 1850 per tonne, LME official settlement price stands at US$ 1852 per tonne; 3-months bid price stands at US$ 1861per tonne, 3-months offer price is US$ 1862 per tonne; Dec 20 bid price stands at US$...
Social inventories of primary aluminium across eight consumption areas in China, including SHFE warrant, stood at 1.513 million tonnes as of Thursday April 25, Shanghai Metals Market data showed. Inventories in China once again recorded a decline as downstream consumers stockpiled for the upcoming Labour Day holiday. Primary aluminium stocks declined 74,000 tonnes or 4.7 per cent from a week ago. The chart below indicates the current status of primary aluminium inventories across China: Stocks of primary aluminium in Wuxi, Jiangsu stood at 547,000 tonnes, down 25,000 tonnes from 572,000 tonnes on Thursday April 18. Inventories in Shanghai and Nanhai, Guangdong decreased 2,000 tonnes and 28,000 tonnes from Thursday April 18 to stand at 290,000 tonnes and 331,000 tonnes. Inventories of...
The dollar index on Wednesday extended its gains to 98.189; its highest since May 2017, as a surprise drop in German business morale weighed on the euro. With a strong US dollar, LME base metals traded mixed on Wednesday and aluminium fell 0.2%. SHFE aluminium rose 0.6%. Three-month LME aluminium hovered in a wide range and ended 0.24% lower at US$1,871.5 per tonne on Wednesday. LME aluminium remained above the five- and 10-day moving averages. With a robust SHFE counterpart, LME aluminium is expected to rise to a range of US$1,860-1,890 per tonne today. As on April 24, LME aluminium cash (bid) price stood at US$ 1853 per tonne, LME official settlement price stands at US$ 1854 per tonne; 3-months bid price stands at US$ 1871.50 per tonne, 3-months offer price is US$ 1872 per tonne; Dec 20...
According to the latest data showed by International Aluminium Institute (IAI), Global primary aluminium production increased to 5.414 million tonnes in March 2019, from 4.916 million tonnes in February 2019. The figure was up 10 per cent month-on-month. Primary aluminium production came in at 15.741 million tonnes in January to March 2019 as against 15.690 million tonnes in January to March 2018. In Asia ex-China, primary aluminium production stood at 377,000 tonnes in March; in the Middle East, the production declined 2.8 per cent year-to-year to 449,000 tonnes. Europe primary aluminium production totalled at 646,000 tonnes in March, down 1.37 per cent from the corresponding period previous year. North America produced 325,000 tonnes of primary aluminium, up 1.88 per cent year-on-year....
On the first trading day after Easter Monday Holiday on April 23, LME aluminium contract closed higher at US$ 1855 per tonne, from US$1839 per tonne on Friday, April 19. Recent strong performance in SHFE aluminium helped LME aluminium buck the downtrend across nonferrous metals on Tuesday. Three-month LME aluminium closed 0.43% higher at US$1876per tonne, after it climbed to a two-week high of US$1886 per tonne. SMM expects the contract to trade between US$1850-1880 per tonne. As on April 23, LME aluminium cash (bid) price stood at US$ 1854.50 per tonne, LME official settlement price stands at US$ 1855 per tonne; 3-months bid price stands at US$ 1870.50 per tonne, 3-months offer price is US$ 1871 per tonne; Dec 20 bid price stands at US$ 1998 per tonne, and Dec 20 offer price stands at...
The US dollar edged lower against a basket of currencies in poor trades on Monday. The LME was closed for Easter Monday holiday. SHFE aluminium traded higher. The benchmark aluminium price on Shanghai Metal Exchange increased to US$ 2113 per tonne today from US$ 2105 per tonne on April 22. The following graph shows the SME price growth in last one month: Longs bolstered the most-liquid SHFE June contract yesterday. It extended the increase in the afternoon to a high of RMB 14,200 per tonne and closed at RMB 14,190 per tonne. The SHFE June contract then pared some earlier gains to end 0.28% higher at RMB 14,175 per tonne overnight, and buck the downtrend across the nonferrous complex. SHFE aluminium is expected to remain firm today with a trading range of RMB 14,150-14,250 per tonne. Spot...
In an interview with The Economic Times, Nalco Chairman cum Managing Director Dr. Tapan Kumar Chand said that the company's aluminium production is estimated to grow this year by 6 per cent and consumption by 4 per cent worldwide. This shows production will remain ahead of consumption. However, the deficit of around 2 million tonnes last year in global markets will come down to 1 million tonne. Chand pointed out in some countries th aluminium demand is showing sluggishness, while in others, such as the Middle East, the metal demand is seeing a rise. While mentioning about the steady aluminium prices in the past one year, he said the prices have come down from about $2,259 per tonne in the first quarter of 2018-19 to $1,859 per tonne in the last quarter, $400 per tonne less. According to...
Tajik Aluminium Company (Talco), Tajikistan’s flagship aluminium smelter and the backbone of the Tajik economy, will reportedly get a facelift by China’s state-owned engineering company CMEC. According to Talco representative, the refurbishment cost will be around US$545 million. On Friday, May 19, a representative for Talco confirmed to AFP via telephone that "the contract between CMEC (China Machinery Engineering Corporation) and Talco was signed on April 15." However, the details on how Talco would finance the deal are not revealed by the representative yet. Tajikistan’s Talco aluminium smelter is a key industrial asset in an impoverished and mostly agrarian country of 9 million bordering China. Over the past years, the smelter’s annual production found dwindling. In 2018, the...
The Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organization (IMIDRO) reported that Iran's major aluminium producers output stood at 301,033 tonnes in the last Iranian year (ended March 20). Aluminium production decreased 11 per cent year-on-year from 337,000 tonnes Iran’s flagship aluminium producer Iran Aluminum Company (IRALCO) accounted for 170,912 tonnes of the total figure. Hormozal Aluminum Company contributed 77,326 tonnes, a 27 per cent drop YOY. Almahdi Aluminum Company contributed 52,795 tonnes, down 14 per cent YoY. Aluminium production during the month to March 20 dropped 42 per cent YOY to16,544 tonnes. Iran has aluminium nameplate capacity of 457,000 tons per year. Aluminium production is expected to reach 1.5 million tons by 2025. Iran is likely to start...
The US dollar index dipped amid the holiday-thin trades, after the release of disappointing US homebuilding data. SHFE base metals rose across the board on Friday night, aluminium advanced close to 0.5%. The London Metal Exchange closed for the Good Friday holiday. As on April 18, LME aluminium cash (bid) price stood at US$ 1838.50 per tonne, LME official settlement price stands at US$ 1839 per tonne; 3-months bid price stands at US$ 1854 per tonne, 3-months offer price is US$ 1854.50 per tonne; Dec 20 bid price stands at US$ 1983 per tonne, and Dec 20 offer price stands at US$ 1988 per tonne. The LME aluminium opening stock dropped to 1053925 tonnes. Live Warrants totalled at 664950 tonnes, and Cancelled Warrants were 388975 tonnes. LME aluminium 3-months Asian Reference Price is...
Vedanta Limited has become the highest aluminium producer in India in FY2019, the data showed after the publication of its production results for the year ended 31st March 2019. Vedanta’s aluminium production stood at 1,959,000 tonnes in FY2019, an increase of 17% year-on-year from 1,675, 000 tonnes in FY2018. It was mostly driven by stabilized production increase after the complete ramp up of Jharsuguda smelters. This has placed Vedanta as the largest aluminium producer in India as the company contributed about 53% of the total aluminium production of about 3.68 million tonnes of aluminium in FY2019. While Nalco produced 440,000 tonnes of aluminium Hindalco is expected to produce about 1.29 million tonnes of aluminium in FY2019. Production from Jharsuguda-I stood at 545,000 tonnes in...
The US dollar rebounded against a basket of foreign currencies on Monday and continued to stay above 97 keeping pressure on LME base metals. Though better-than-expected economic data in China weakened it in the mid-week, strong retail sales and labour data bolstered the US dollar on later. LME aluminium had a flat run over the week. The LME aluminium cash contract started the week flat from last week at US$1843.50 per tonne and continued with a downward trend without much fluctuation. The contract was traded within a tight range of US$1839-US$1844 per tonne over last week closing at US$1839 per tonne on Thursday. On Friday, there was no trading due to Good Friday holiday. 3-months aluminium price ended the week at US$ 1854.50 per tonne. LME aluminium is expected to trade between...
South32 reported two per cent quarter-on-quarter decline in its third quarter FY19 aluminium production. Total aluminium production dropped from 247,000 tonnes in Q2 FY19 to 242,000 tonnes in Q3 FY19. Production remains unchanged at 737,000 in in the nine months ended March 2019. Hillside Aluminium production increased by one per cent to 536,000 tonnes in the nine months ended March 2019 from 533,000 tonnes in the nine months ended March 2018. In Q3 FY19, production stood at 176,000 tonnes, down two per cent quarter-on-quarter. Sales declined by 14 per cent QoQ in the March 2019 quarter reflecting the timing of shipments. Production guidance for FY19 remains unchanged at 720,000 tonnes, but remains subject to load-shedding. “Notwithstanding the smelter’s continued strong operating...
According to a Reuters report, China Hongqiao Group plans to restart some of its closed smelting capacities this year. The move will allow the company to replace ageing production lines with newer technology, including a high-performing 600 kA potline without adding extra capacity. Hongqiao, the world’s largest aluminium producer has a licensed aluminium capacity of 6.46 million tonnes per year and had to close 2.68 million tonnes of illegal capacity in mid-2017, on order of the provincial government in eastern China’s Shandong. According to a statement from Shandong’s Department of Industry and Information Technology Hongqiao will idle 543,000 tonnes of capacity this year and replace it with 542,000 tonnes of new capacity. China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology allows...
During Alcoa’s first quarter earnings call on April 17, Alcoa CEO Roy C. Harvey highlighted aluminium trade imbalance, Chinese overcapacity, Section 232 tariffs and the proposed quota on Canada’s aluminium export to the U.S. He said that in China downward domestic demand growth is constantly being balanced by higher levels of smelting curtailment. While the government is offering export incentives, Chinese exports are bound to grow more this year and will continue to flood international markets despite trade barriers. He added that the U.S. trade policy designed to help the domestic aluminium industry has not been able to address Chinese overcapacity, and the growing export of semi-fabricated products from that country. “Since U.S. Section 232 tariffs were enacted last year, Chinese...
Strong retail sales and labour data bolstered the US dollar on Thursday. LME aluminium traded flat and SHFE aluminium inched up close to 0.1%. Despite the rebound in the greenback, three-month LME aluminium rallied from earlier lows to close 0.84% higher at US$1,868 per tonne on Thursday night, recovering from much of the losses in the previous day. The cash contract also closed the trading day almost flat and gained slightly overnight. Weak fundamentals will likely keep gains in LME aluminium in check. It is expected to trade within a tight range in the short term. As on April 18, LME aluminium cash (bid) price stood at US$ 1838.50 per tonne, LME official settlement price stands at US$ 1839 per tonne; 3-months bid price stands at US$ 1854 per tonne, 3-months offer price is US$ 1854.50...
Social inventories of primary aluminium across eight consumption areas in China, including SHFE warrants, stood at 1.59 million tonnes as of Thursday April 18, Shanghai Metals Market data showed. Inventories declined by about 49,000 tonnes from Thursday April 11. Continued resumption of downstream demand lowered the primary aluminium inventories. In Wuxi, Jiangsu, and Nanhai, Guangdong, stocks of primary aluminium declined 14,000 tonnes and 15,000 tonnes from Thursday April 11 to stand at 572,000 tonnes and 359,000 tonnes respectively. Stocks in Gongyi, Henan and Hangzhou, Zhejiang dropped to stand at 131,000 tonnes and 118,000 tonnes. The chart below indicates the current status of primary aluminium inventory across China: In another update from SMM, A00 aluminium ingot price records...
Alcoa Corporation released first quarter 2019 results yesterday and reported a net loss of US$199 million compared to net income of US$51 million in Q4 2018. The 2019 first quarter results include the impact of US$156 million for special items driven by the dismissal of two smelters in Spain. Commenting on the results, President and Chief Executive Officer Roy Harvey said, “We improved our operations in the first quarter, even as alumina and aluminium prices weakened.” “Our Bauxite and Alumina segments increased their production rates, and we took steps last quarter to restructure our Aluminum portfolio.” Excluding the impact of special items, first quarter 2019 adjusted net loss dropped to US$43 million from net income of US$133 million in 2018. Adjusted EBITDA excluding special items...
