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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Iran Aluminum Company, Hormozal Aluminum Company, and Almahdi Aluminum Company in Iran produced over 267,000 tonnes of aluminium during the first ten months of the Iranian calendar year (through January 20). This marked an increase of 5 per cent from the same period last year. Three major Iranian aluminium producers are expected to produce 385,000 tonnes of aluminium by the end of the current fiscal (March 20), up from last year’s total production of 337,000 tonnes Iran has aluminium nameplate capacity of 457,000 tonnes per annum. Aluminium production is expected to reach 1.5 million tonnes by 2025. The country is expected to start a new aluminium smelter this year. South Aluminium Company (Salco) will boost Iran’s aluminium production by 70 per cent and make it self-sufficient by taking...
According to Shanghai Metals Market, the A00 aluminium ingot has extended its price today, on February 14, to RMB 13,320 per tonne. On February 13, the price was at RMB 13,290 per tonne, which means today the aluminium ingot price has recorded rise by RMB 30 per tonne. The average prices are expected to range between RMB 13,300 per tonne and RMB 13,340 per tonne, with spot discounts to settle at RMB 30 per tonne to RMB 10 per tonne. The spot discount thus has registered a rise by RMB 20 per tonne, found SMM. In the east (Wuxi and Hangzhou), the aluminium ingot price has climbed up by RMB 20 per tonne to stand at RMB 13,320 per tonne. In the southern markets, the ingot price has also inched up by RMB 20 per tonne and clocked at RMB 13,350 per tonne; while in the north, the price has...
The US dollar rose slightly on Wednesday, reversing losses from the previous day, thanks to an increase in a measure of inflation excluding energy prices. LME base metals, except for lead, traded higher on Wednesday. LME aluminium expanded 0.5% and SHFE aluminium gained some 0.2% overnight. Benchmark aluminium price on London Metal Exchange stood at US$ 1840 per tonne on Wednesday, February 13, from US$ 1840.5 per tonne on Tuesday. LME aluminium is expected to trade at US$1840-1880 per tonne today. As on February 13, LME aluminium cash (bid) price stood at US$ 1839 per tonne, LME official settlement price stands at US$ 1840 per tonne; 3-months bid price stands at US$ 1863 per tonne, 3-months offer price is US$ 1865 per tonne; Dec 19 bid price stands at US$ 2005 per tonne, and Dec 19 offer...
ALUMINIUM INDIA 2019 has clearly evidenced the future market opportunities and rising demand for technologies in the aluminium industry on the Indian continent. In excess of 2,000 visitors travelled to the East Indian city of Bhubaneswar to visit the trade fair from 31 January to 2 February. The 87 exhibitors from India, China, North America and Europe covered the complete cross-section of industry needs, from raw materials and processing through to the finished products for the principal areas of applications on the Indian market: the sectors energy, transport, construction and packaging. For the first time, the trade fair was held at the state of Odisha – the heart of the Indian aluminium industry. Another first was the concurrent holding with the renowned INCAL Conference, which was...
Aldel, located in Delfzijl, Netherlands, announced the reopening of potline one, which was closed for six years. Acquired by York Capital in November 2017, the smelter is in the process of a significant capital investment programme to return the plant to its original production levels. Full annual capacity of the plant is over 150,000 tonnes of extrusion billets and rolling ingots. “This is part of the on-going capital investment in both equipment and people as the plant moves towards full production by the end of 2019.” The Aldel plant, established in 1966, serves as a critical supplier in the European aluminium industry and is the only remaining smelter in The Netherlands. The smelter plays a very important role in helping balance the Dutch energy grid which becomes more important as...
According to Shanghai Metals Market, large purchases among downstream consumers today, on February 13, have bolstered further improvements in spot aluminium transactions across east and south China markets. This could be possible as many downstream consumers have resumed work from the Chinese New Year holiday, SMM found. The front-month aluminium contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange came off from earlier highs this morning. Spot discounts in Shanghai were seen at RMB 30 per tonne to RMB 10 per tonne against the SHFE 1902 contract, down from a day ago. In Shanghai, Wuxi and Hangzhou, spot transactions were heard at RMB 13,290 per tonne to RMB 13,310 per tonne, RMB 20 per tonne higher than the previous morning. A buyer procured close to 9,000 tonnes of spot aluminium in the eastern...
The US dollar fell on Tuesday after eight days of gains, the longest in two years, as investors turned to riskier assets on optimism over the outcome of US-China trade talks. LME base metals traded lower on Tuesday. LME aluminium dropped 1.2% last night. LME aluminium fell further and closed at US$ 1840.50 per tonne yesterday from US$1848 per tonne on Monday. Despite the dip on Tuesday, the US dollar is still at highs and this would continue to weigh on aluminium prices. LME aluminium is expected to trade at US$1,800-1,870 per tonne today. As on February 12, LME aluminium cash (bid) price stood at US$ 1840 per tonne, LME official settlement price stands at US$ 1840.50 per tonne; 3-months bid price stands at US$ 1865 per tonne, 3-months offer price is US$ 1866 per tonne; Dec 19 bid price...
On Tuesday February 12, spot aluminium transactions across eastern and southern markets in China picked up from the previous day, according to Shanghai Metals Market. The slightly better spot transactions could be attributed to improved deals between traders. Overall spot aluminium trades remained poor as downstream purchases stayed at lows. The front-month aluminium contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange traded range bound in the morning. Spot discounts in Shanghai were heard at RMB 50 per tonne against the SHFE 1902 contract earlier in the morning, before it fell to RMB40-30 per tonne. Spot transactions in Shanghai, Wuxi and Hangzhou were at RMB 13,270 per tonne to RMB 13,290 per tonne, up from the previous morning. In Guangdong, spot transactions occurred at RMB 13,320 per tonne,...
The US dollar index rose above 97 on Monday as an economic slowdown in Europe, weak emerging markets and the strong US job market drove investors to the safe-haven currency. LME base metals traded lower on Monday. LME aluminium closed flat. LME aluminium contract closed at US$1848 per tonne on Monday, down 0.91 per cent from US$1865 per tonne on Friday, February 8. LME aluminium is expected to trade at US$1870-1900 per tonne today. As on February 11, LME aluminium cash (bid) price stood at US$ 1847 per tonne, LME official settlement price stands at US$ 1848 per tonne; 3-months bid price stands at US$ 1869 per tonne, 3-months offer price is US$ 1869.50per tonne; Dec 19 bid price stands at US$ 2003 per tonne, and Dec 19 offer price stands at US$ 2008 per tonne. The LME aluminium opening...
After a plunge yesterday from RMB 13,300 per tonne to RMB 13,270 per tonne, the A00 aluminium ingot price decides to remain unchanged today, on February 12, Shanghai Metals Market learned. The average prices are expected to range between RMB 13,250 per tonne and RMB 13,290 per tonne, with spot discounts to settle at RMB 80 per tonne and RMB 40 per tonne. The average spot discount has increased by RMB 40 per tonne to stand at RMB 60 per tonne. But in some of the major markets, the A00 aluminium ingot price has recorded a rise such as in Wuxi in the east Chinese market where the price is up by RMB 10 per tonne to RMB 13,280 per tonne. However, the price in Hangzhou in the east has shown restraint, while in the south and north, the prices have increased by RMB 20 per tonne and RMB 45 per...
According to Shanghai Metals Market, spot aluminium transactions across eastern and southern China remained poor this morning, the first trading day after the Chinese New Year break. The poor trading occurred primarily because many downstream consumers were not back from the holidays yet. The front-month aluminium contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange traded lower in the morning. Spot discounts in Shanghai, against the SHFE 1902 contract, were heard at RMB 60 per tonne to RMB 50 per tonne, in contrast to RMB 30 per tonne to RMB 20 per tonne on the last day February 1, before the SMM went on for the New Year break. Spot transactions in Shanghai and Wuxi were at RMB 13,260 per tonne to RMB 13,280 per tonne while that in Hangzhou at RMB 13,270 per tonne to RMB 13,290 per tonne. Traded...
According to Shanghai Metals Market, social inventories of primary aluminium across eight major consumption areas in China, including SHFE warrants, grew 13.4 per cent over a week-long Chinese New Year Holiday, as on today, February 11. Compared to 1.378 million tonnes as of January 31, the primary aluminium inventories today came in at 1.562 million tonnes, up 184,000 tonnes. Over the same period, stocks in Wuxi and Hangzhou grew from 513,000 tonnes to 578,000 tonnes, up 13 per cent while that in Shanghai rose from 299,000 tonnes to 310,000 tonnes, up about 4 per cent. In other markets like Nanhai and Guangdong, and Gongyi and Henan, the inventories increased 30 per cent and 12 per cent to stand at 274,000 tonnes and 142,000 tonnes respectively. The below chart indicates the current...
National Aluminium Company Limited (NALCO), announced its financial results for the third quarter ended December 2018 and up to end third quarter 2018-19. India’s leading manufacturer and exporter of alumina and aluminium posted a higher than expected operating profit of INR589 crore in the 3rd quarter of 2018-19, registering 80% growth over the same period of last year. Net profit in Q3 stood at INR 302 crore. During the first nine months of the current fiscal, net profit increased stood at INR1499 crore, up 38% year on year, from INR1085 crore during the comparable period of the previous fiscal. Net sales rose 32% YoY to INR8644 crore. NALCO achieved record growth in production in all fronts. The achieved production of 55.39 lakh tonnes of bauxite during the first nine months of the...
The Shanghai Metals Market opened today after almost a week-long Chinese New Year Holiday from February 4 to February 10 with a drop in A00 aluminium ingot price. Registering a dip by RMB 30 per tonne, the ingot price today, on February 11, stood at RMB 13,270 per tonne, according to the data found by SMM. The average prices are expected to range between RMB 13,250 per tonne and RMB 13,290 per tonne, with spot discounts to settle at RMB 120 per tonne to RMB 80 per tonne. The average discount thus found dipped by RMB 40 per tonne to RMB 100 per tonne. This marked the second decline this month as the price of the ingot recorded a reduction from RMB 13,390 per tonne to RMB 13,300 per tonne on February 1, just before the SMM went on the Chinese New Year break. The aluminium ingot price in the...
The US dollar rose against a basket of currencies last week, taking the index to a five-week high of 96.7. LME base metals traded mixed last week. Benchmark aluminium price on London Metal Exchange edged higher on Friday, February 8. The light metal contract closed at US$1865 per tonne, up 0.13 per cent from US$1862.5 per tonne on Thursday, February 7. LME aluminium is expected to trade at US$1870-1900 per tonne today. As on February 8, LME aluminium cash (bid) price stood at US$ 1864.50 per tonne, LME official settlement price stands at US$ 1865 per tonne; 3-months bid price stands at US$ 1889 per tonne, 3-months offer price is US$ 1889.50 per tonne; Dec 19 bid price stands at US$ 2020 per tonne, and Dec 19 offer price stands at US$ 2025 per tonne. The LME aluminium opening stock stood...
Benchmark aluminium price on London Metal Exchange declined 1.27 per cent from the previous day and closed at US$ 1862.50 per tonne on Thursday, February 7.This marks a decline two days in a row after a rise from US$ 1840 per tonne to US$ 1896.5 per tonne on February 5, 2019. As on February 7, LME aluminium cash (bid) price stood at US$ 1862 per tonne, LME official settlement price stands at US$ 1862.50 per tonne; 3-months bid price stands at US$ 1890 per tonne, 3-months offer price is US$ 1891 per tonne; Dec 19 bid price stands at US$ 2032 per tonne, and Dec 19 offer price stands at US$ 2037 per tonne. The LME aluminium opening stock stood at 1291800 tonnes. Live Warrants totalled at 673875 tonnes, and Cancelled Warrants were 617925 tonnes. LME aluminium 3-months Asian Reference Price is...
The world’s second largest aluminium company by primary production output - Rusal once again proves its potential by recording a year-on-year growth in aluminium production in 2018. Even after going through critical conditions led by United States sanctions, the Russian aluminium giant produced 1.3 per cent more aluminium totalling 3.753 million tonnes in the noted year. Per the report, Rusal’s aluminium production in the fourth quarter of 2018 increased in comparison with the third quarter by 0.4 per cent to 943,000 tonnes. Last year, although the average aluminium price went up by 7.3 per cent to US$ 2,259 per tonne, the price in the fourth quarter lowered 7 per cent to US$2,115 per tonne. The London Metal Exchange (LME) said in a statement last month that the LME lifted restrictions on...
Aluminium Bahrain B.S.C. (Alba) released its Full-Year and Fourth Quarter of 2018 results on Thursday February 07, 2019.The company reported a net loss of BD 17.5 million (US$ 47 million) in Q4 2018, down by 175% from a net Income of BD 23.4 million (US$ 62.4 million) in Q4 2017. Alba reported a gross loss of BD 7.4 million (US$ 20 million) versus a gross profit of BD 37.3 million (US$ 99.2 million) in Q4 2017, down by 120% YoY. Total Sales/Revenues stood at BD 211.5 million (US$ 562.6 million) in Q4 2018, down 16% YoY, compared to BD 252.7 million (US$ 672.2 million) in Q4 2017. Alba’s top-line and bottom-line in Q4 were impacted primarily by lower sales’ revenue and higher alumina prices. In 2018, net income stood at BD 59.8 million (US$ 158.9 million), down by 35% YoY, compared to BD...
