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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The US dollar index rebounded from earlier lows on Thursday, after US data showed growth in the world's largest economy was stronger than expected in the fourth quarter. LME base metals traded mixed on Thursday and aluminium dropped 0.9%. SHFE base metals also saw mixed performance overnight and aluminium lost some 0.2%. LME aluminium cash contract closed lower from previous day at US$ 1893 per tonne during the day’s closing yesterday. The three-month LME aluminium dropped close to 0.9% to finish Thursday at a session low of US$1,905 per tonne, as gloomy February manufacturing data in China hampered market sentiment. Better-than-expected US economic growth in the fourth quarter bolstered the greenback overnight, which is set to weigh on LME aluminium today, with most transactions likely...
On Thursday February 28, as updated by Shanghai Metals Market, spot aluminium discounts narrowed in east-China markets as prices of futures dropped. The front-month March aluminium contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange weakened in the morning. In Shanghai, spot discounts were heard at RMB50 per tonne to RMB30 per tonne against the SHFE 1903 contract, and trades between traders were brisk. Spot discounts narrowed to RMB30 per to RMB20 per tonne after SHFE aluminium saw losses accelerate in the second part of the morning session, and this eroded buying interest among traders. Spot deals mostly occurred at RMB13,600 per tonne to RMB13,620 per tonne in Shanghai and Wuxi, and at RMB13,600 per tonne to RMB13,610 per tonne in Hangzhou, SMM research found. In Guangdong, spot trades this...
According to the latest report from US Geological Survey, US domestic primary aluminium production in November 2018 was 88,000 tonnes. The average daily production in November was 2,920 tonne, 8% more than that in October 2018, 44% more than that in November 2017 and 43% more than that in November 2016. The report indicates some positive impact of Trump’s tariffs on aluminium on the domestic primary sector. For the period from January to November domestic primary aluminium production stood at 797,000 tonnes. It registered a growth of about 18% from the same period of 2017 in which the U.S. churned out 677,000 tonnes of primary aluminium. Secondary aluminium continued to be a major segment of total aluminium supply. Total aluminium recovered from scrap in November 2018 was 296,000 tonne,...
Social inventories of primary aluminium across eight consumption areas in China, including SHFE warrants, increased 72,000 tonnes from Thursday February 21, Shanghai Metals Market data showed. As of Thursday February 28, social stocks of primary aluminium came in at 1.744 million tonnes. The chart below indicates the current status of the primary aluminium inventories across China: Compared with last Thursday, inventories in Nanhai, Guangdong and Gongyi, Henan increased 34,000 tonnes and 29,000 tonnes to 352,000 tonnes and 167,000 tonnes respectively. Stocks in Nanhai and Gongyi were at 318,000 tonnes and 138,000 tonnes on Thursday, February 21. Inventories in Wuxi, Jiangsu increased 14,000 tonnes to 644,000 tonnes as of Thursday February 28. Stocks in Shanghai and Hangzhou, Zhejiang...
The US dollar rebounded on Wednesday as investors digested testimonies from the lead US trade negotiator with China and the top ranking Federal Reserve official. LME base metals traded higher across the board on Wednesday and aluminium gained 0.3%. SHFE base metals performed similarly overnight and aluminium rose some 0.2%. LME aluminium cash contract closed higher from previous day at US$ 1898.5 per tonne during the day’s closing yesterday but lost some gains during night trading. As longs loaded up their positions, the three-month LME aluminium rose a three-week high of US$1,930 per tonne on Wednesday, before it ended at US$1,922 per tonne, standing above all short-term moving averages. The rebound in the US dollar index accounted for the losses in LME aluminium later in the overnight...
Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) announced that it is to supply its entire carbon dust production, a by-product of aluminium smelting to the UAE cement industry to be used as alternative fuel. The move strengthens EGA’s cooperation with UAE cement companies and also reiterates its commitment to sustainability and a circular economy. EGA also supplies its spent pot lining, another waste product, to UAE cement firms and has trialled the re-use of carbon dust in the cement industry. Salman Dawood Abdulla, Executive Vice President, Environment, Health, Safety, Sustainability and Business Transformation at EGA, said: “…we are glad to be working with the cement industry to pioneer this approach in the UAE. We will now re-use almost all the carbon dust we generate at EGA, improving the...
As updated by Shanghai Metals Market, Shandong Weiqiao Group, one of the top alumina producers in China, planned to reduce prebaked anode purchasing prices by RMB140 per tonne for March. The price for March now stands at RMB3,180 per tonne in cash and RMB3,215 per tonne on acceptance. As far as averageprebaked anode spot price is concerned, it continues to remain at RMB3420 per tonne. The last drop was on Monday, February 25, by RMB37.5 per tonne or 1.08 per cent from RMB3457.5 per tonne, as on February 22. The price is expected to range between RMB3320 per tonne and RMB3520 per tonne. As of Wednesday, February 27, prebaked Anode price in the Central remains at RMB 3400 per tonne, while that in the Southwest and Northwest hovers at RMB3800 per tonne. Other input costs such as Al Fluoride...
India, yet again, reportedly extended the retaliatory tariffs deadline on 29 US products till April 1, as on Tuesday, February 26. According to the report, the commerce ministry asked its finance counterpart to defer the implementation of duties, as discussions for a proposed trade package is still going on between India and the US. A notification said that implementation of increased customs duty on specified imports originating in USA has been postponed from March 2, 2019 to April 1, 2019. This is the sixth time that India has deferred the retaliatory tariffs deadline on US products, including almond, walnut, and pulses. June 2018 was the first time when India had decided to impose tariffs in response to the United States’ additional duties on certain aluminium and steel products....
Rio Tinto announces record returns of US$13.5 billion including final dividend of US$3.1 billion and special dividend of US$4.0 billion to its shareholders for 2018. Commenting on the announcement, Rio Tinto chief executive J-S Jacques said “We have once again announced record cash returns to shareholders of $13.5 billion on the back of $18 billion of underlying EBITDA and a Return on Capital Employed of 19%. These strong results reflect the efforts of the team to implement our value-over-volume strategy as we continued to strengthen the portfolio and invest in future growth.” “Our world-class portfolio and strong balance sheet will serve us well in all market conditions, and underpin our ability to continue to invest in our business and deliver superior returns to shareholders in the...
Shanghai Metals Market found brisk spot aluminium trading in east China this morning, February 27, as the state-owned Aluminium Corporation of China (Chalco) made purchases close to 10,000 tonnes. In south China, Chalco purchased over 5,000 tonnes. In Shanghai, Wuxi, and Hangzhou, spot deals were mostly found at RMB 13,620 per tonne to RMB 13,640 per tonne, learned SMM, while traded prices increased by about RMB 30 per tonne from the previous morning. Spot discounts in Shanghai were narrower than yesterday at RMB 60 per tonne to RMB 40 per tonne, against the front-month March aluminium contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange. This was because of the aluminium giant’s large purchase as it prompted sellers to raise their offers. Buyers, however, did not feel comfortable with the prices....
The US dollar slid to a three-week low on Tuesday. LME base metals traded mixed on Tuesday and aluminium rose 0.7%. SHFE base metals also saw mixed performance overnight and aluminium lost 0.2%. LME aluminium contract fell to US$ 1870 per tonne during the day’s closing yesterday despite the dollar loss; however, it regained some losses during night trading. The three-month LME aluminium rebounded from a session low of US$1,891 per tonne to finish Tuesday 0.7% higher at US$1,917 per tonne. The unwinding of short positions accounted for the majority of Tuesday gains in LME aluminium. LME aluminium is expected to trade at US$1,900-1,920 per today. As on February 26, LME aluminium cash (bid) price stood at US$ 1869 per tonne, LME official settlement price stands at US$ 1870 per tonne;...
According to Shanghai Metals Market, the A00 aluminium ingot price extends its growth today, February 27, yet again to stand at RMB 13,620 per tonne. Yesterday, on February 26, the ingot price was at RMB 13,610 per tonne, which indicates that today the price has risen by RMB 10 per tonne. This is the sixth consecutive rise of the A00 aluminium ingot price since February 20. Over the week, the price grew from RMB 13,390 per tonne to RMB 13,620 per tonne. The average prices today are expected to range between RMB 13,600 per tonne and RMB 13,640 per tonne, with spot discounts to settle at RMB 80 per tonne to RMB 40 per tonne. Today’s A00 aluminium ingot spot price stands highest since December 27, 2018, when the price was hovering at RMB 13,540 per tonne. In the east (Wuxi and Hangzhou), the...
After the successful launch of Aluminium Industry Recap of 2018, AlCircle is now coming up with a comprehensive Aluminium Industry Outlook 2019. The year 2018 saw the global output of primary aluminium being impacted by various factors including constraints in supply of raw materials and imposition of various trade restrictions and sanctions by the US Government. Prices saw some highs and lows and a trade war between the U.S. and its allies created concern in the international market. {newsStudioGallery} In 2019, however, most of these issues surrounding the aluminium industry are expected to be resolved and supply as well as the price is expected to stabilise during the course of the year. The start of 2019 has already witnessed the lifting of sanctions on Rusal by the US Government and...
According to Shanghai Metals Market, spot aluminium sellers and buyers in east China were locked in stalemate this morning, February 26, as bullish outlooks led sellers hold their offers firm and high prices sidelined buyers. In Shanghai and Wuxi, spot deals mostly occurred at RMB 13,590 per tonne to RMB 13,610 per tonne while that in Hangzhou at RMB 13,600 to RMB 13,610 per tonne, SMM research found. Traded prices barely change from the previous morning. Spot discounts in Shanghai, against the SHFE 1903 contract, stood at RMB 80 per tonne to RMB 60 per tonne, almost flat when compared with Monday morning. The state-owned aluminium giant, the Aluminium Corporation of China (Chalco), purchased around 2,000 tonnes of spot aluminium in eastern markets this morning. Spot trades in Guangdong,...
The US dollar extended its losses on Monday after US President Donald Trump decided to extend a March 1 deadline for additional tariffs on Chinese goods, suggesting progressive trade negotiations between the two countries. LME base metals traded mixed on Monday and aluminium fell 0.6%. Most SHFE base metals pulled back overnight and aluminium closed flat. LME aluminium contract fell slightly to US$ 1886 per tonne on day’s closing yesterday. The three-month LME aluminium fell from a high of US$1,925 per tonne, which was also the highest in the previous trading day, to end Monday 0.6% lower at US$1,903 per tonne, paring gains in the prior day. Weak fundamentals weighed on LME aluminium, despite losses in the US dollar and gains across metals. The contract is expected to hover in wide range...
A00 aluminium ingot price continued its upward trend and stood at RMB 13610 per tonne as of Tuesday, February 26. Aluminium ingot price increased 0.15 per cent or RMB20 per tonne today. The average price is expected to range between RMB13590 per tonne and RMB13630 per tonne, with spot discounts to settle at RMB90-50 per tonne. Aluminium ingot prices in East (Wuxi) and East (Hangzhou) up by RMB15 per tonne and RMB25 per tonne to stand at RMB13600 per tonne and RMB13605 per tonne. Their average prices are expected to range between RMB 13590 - 13610 per tonne and RMB 13600 - 13610 per tonne. Aluminium ingot prices in South and North stood at RMB13650 per tonne and RMB13590 per tonne. Their average prices are expected to range between RMB 13630 - 13670 per tonne and RMB 13580 – 13600 per...
India’s timeline of March 2 for imposing retaliatory duties on US items in response to U.S. duties on its steel and aluminium is likely to be postponed by a few days and an India-US trade deal is expected to be wrapped up soon. A government official told media that the Commerce Ministry and the US Trade Representative's (USTR) office may soon announce a trade deal to address the issue of import duties on steel and aluminium from India imposed by the U.S. In March 2018, the US imposed stiff tariffs of 25 per cent on steel and 10 per cent on aluminium imported from India and a number of its trade allies citing national security. The deal will also cover better trade opportunities for certain agriculture and dairy products in both countries brought about by removing non-tariff barriers,...
Aluminium Bahrain B.S.C. (Alba) is reiterating its commitment towards a sustainable aluminium future by joining the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI) in February 2019. The soon to be largest single site smelter has been working towards becoming a sustainable aluminium producer by strictly adhering to safety and environment rules. The press release from the company says that Alba has become a Production and Transformation member of the ASI due to its the latest ISO certification, its implementation of International Finance Corporation requirements and also for maintaining a high performance Safety and Health records. The company has also been demonstrating its initiatives to protect the environment. The company says that this membership has brought them closer to achieving...
