In the first half (H1) of 2026, the US imported a total of 1.68 million metric tons of unwrought aluminum (HSN code: 7601), of which 16.96% was sourced from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). How has H1 2026 fared for the momentum of unwrought aluminum exports from the UAE to the US? Year-on-year cooling in trade can be noticed, largely owing to the temporary shutdown of the Emirates Global Aluminium’s (EGA’s) Al Taweelah smelter for repair and maintenance. Explore the production, demand and consumption forecasts of bauxite and alumina in our report: “ Global Bauxite & Alumina Market Forecast to 2036: Supply–Demand, Trade Flows & Price Outlook ” H1 aluminum trade snapshot: 2026 vs 2025 vs 2024 Comparing the H1 2026 figures of unwrought aluminum exported by the UAE to the US, a mixed result...
Norsk Hydro’s earnings outlook for 2027 is facing mounting pressure from falling aluminium premiums, rising operating costs and easing supply tightness in Europe, prompting Goldman Sachs to downgrade the Norwegian producer from ‘buy’ to ‘neutral’ and reduce its price target from NOK 100 (USD 10.71) to NOK 79 (USD 8.46). Goldman said weaker premiums and higher costs were making further earnings growth harder to achieve in 2027. The bank also lowered its core earnings (EBITDA) forecasts for 2026 and 2027 by 6 per cent each, citing lower aluminium prices and rising costs. The changing market conditions come as additional metal from the Middle East reaches the market and Indonesian aluminium supply expands faster than expected, easing European supply constraints sooner than Goldman had...
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Asia-Pacific, where labour is affordable, setup costs of plants are cheaper and regulations are more friendly for business owners and stakeholders, have grown to become the focal point of the aluminium industry in the past decade. But what seems like a regional jump is a fruit of longstanding geopolitical blips and economic volatility. From culture to couture, production to market capture, the west has led the game for centuries. But as we approach the half of the ongoing century, a single question nags the mind. Why is the east now replacing the west (for aluminium or not)? And the answer is simple — availability beats class. Image source: https://www.eurofound.europa.eu/ Also read: From €15.6B to €2.8B: Eurozone’s June trade surplus collapses under tariff pressure US economic fallout...
On Monday, September 1, both LME aluminium cash bid price and LME aluminium official settlement price opened the week with a fall of USD 8 per tonne or 0.30 per cent and USD 8.5 per tonne or 0.32 per cent to clock at USD 2,612 per tonne and USD 2,612.5 per tonne. 3-month bid price and 3-month offer price also went down the graph by USD 6 per tonne or 0.22 per cent and USD 5.5 per tonne or 0.21 per cent to halt at USD 2,609 per tonne and USD 2,610 per tonne. December 26 bid price and December 26 offer price slipped by USD 3 per tonne or 0.11 per cent to arrive at USD 2,657 per tonne and USD 2,662 per tonne. Get more industry insights from - Global Aluminium Industry Outlook 2025 LME aluminium 3-month Asian Reference Price for the same day arrived at USD 2,611 per tonne, from USD 2,615.50...
Artificial intelligence has dominated global headlines in recent years, usually in connection with IT firms, chatbots, or image-generation platforms. That gave an impression that only digital startups can use AI. In reality, another story is unfolding. Industries once considered slow to change are also undergoing a transformation. Heavy industry, long viewed as conservative, is now adopting digital solutions to cut costs, raise efficiency, and improve quality. Building a digital ecosystem A prominent example is RUSAL, one of the world’s largest aluminium producers. Breaking away from the stereotype of “sluggish” heavy industry, the company has built a complete digital ecosystem in only two years. Today, advanced systems are present across almost every stage of the chain, from raw...
Brazil’s aluminium industry is under pressure from overseas suppliers after recent tariff changes. India’s largest producer Vedanta has been sending more metal into Brazil, increasing shipments to local buyers. Traders also reported that Russia’s top producer, Rusal has also entered the market with small trial sales. Traders also noted that Rusal, Russia’s top producer, has entered the market with small trial sales. A trader said, “I have been hearing a lot of rumours about Rusal’s approach. I heard that it had already made some sales and the cargo was about to arrive, and they would do a test [of the material].” Alumar, one of Brazil’s largest smelters, confirmed the shift, “The Brazilian market has attracted the attention of various producers, which increases competition,” a...
The LME aluminium price movement on Friday, August 29 showed an upward movement from the previous day, reflecting a steady market performance. As per the data, the LME aluminium cash bid price stood at USD 2,620 per tonne, and the LME aluminium cash offer price stood at USD 2621 per tonne. On the previous day, both the prices had closed at USD 2,614 per tonne and USD 2,615 per tonne. Comparing the two days, both LME aluminium cash bid price and LME aluminium official settlement price had gained USD 6 per tonne or 0.22 per cent. On the same day, both 3-month bid price and 3-month offer price settled at USD 2,615 per tonne, and USD 2615.5 per tonne compared to USD 2609.5 per tonne and USD 2610 per tonne the previous day. In a single day, the LME aluminium 3-month cash bid price and LME...
Iran produces approximately 560,000 tonnes of aluminium ingots annually, and it does not fully utilise more than 650,000 tonnes of installed capacity, Houshang Goodarzi, head of the Iranian Aluminium Industries Syndicate, reported due to a consistent lack of electricity and natural gas supplies. Image for referential purposes only Goodarzi explained that the aluminium chain begins with alumina production at the Jajarm complex and flows through four key smelters. “Iran requires about 1.3 million tonnes of alumina to meet its full ingot production capacity. Domestic supply provides only 250,000 tonnes, with the remainder imported, often under foreign exchange constraints. For every kilogram of aluminium ingot, roughly twice as much alumina powder is needed,” he said. Although about 450,000...
Rio Tinto, one of the world’s largest mining and metals companies, sets out to strategise its approach to aluminium sales in the United States. The reason behind their new strategy is the imposition of a 50 per cent tariff on Canadian aluminium imports earlier this summer. Traditionally, Canada is the major supplier of aluminium to US industries, thus making new tariffs absolutely disruptive. What Rio Tinto is doing to offset the huge expense While the newly imposed tariff has pushed up the expenses significantly, Rio Tinto’s strategy is to scale back aluminium shipments from Canada. Instead of heavily relying on stockpiles, the company is shifting its focus to the existing inventories. As a result, they can easily continue to honour supply agreements with major industrial customers...
Diversified mining and metals giant Vedanta Ltd has unveiled a USD 10 billion three-year capital expenditure plan to vastly increase its aluminium, zinc, and energy business. The investment, intended to take advantage of India's industrial surge, is expected to drive the company's medium-term annual EBITDA to the USD 8-10 billion mark, with aluminium being a major driver of the growth. Image source: https://vedantaaluminium.com/ Aluminium as a key growth driver The lion's portion of this investment is going into its aluminium business, which Vedanta estimates will add about USD 4 billion to its future top line earnings. The expansion strategy, aggressive in scope, calls for doubling the capacity of its alumina refinery to 5 million tonnes a year (MTPA) by FY26 and boosting its aluminium...
Leader of the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) party, Azruddin Mohamed, has pledged to build an aluminium plant and a glass factory in Linden, Guyana, as part of his campaign to revive Region 10’s struggling economy. Speaking at a well-attended rally on Wednesday night, he declared, “This region needs jobs. Young people need opportunities, and rest assured, we want to set up an aluminium plant here.” Image for referential purposes only The initiatives intend to utilise the area’s natural resources, bauxite and silica sand, in value-added industries, providing jobs and assisting in keeping the wealth generated in the area local. Tackling historical neglect Linden boasts huge quantities of bauxite reserves, a primary ore for aluminium, which is again a strategic commodity for Guyana. However,...
National Aluminium Company, India's leading aluminium producing company, had announced on August 28, about it joining hands with Coal India, a state-owned company responsible for exploration, mining and supply of coal in India and National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), one of India's leading power generation company, for setting up the proposed INR 12,000 crore (USD 1.44 billion) power plant in Odisha, India. The announcement of the joint venture has led to a positive jump in NALCO's stock. Recently, the aluminium producing company has unveiled its expansion plan to capitalise on the rising demand for aluminium and is focused on adding 1 million tonnes of alumina refinery by June 2026. Alongside this, the firm is also focused on developing a 0.5 million tonnes per annum smelter as...
The global aluminium industry is still changing on all fronts, including the primary aluminium, bauxite, and alumina markets, driven by shifting trade policies, production hurdles, and creative approaches to production. From India's Chandrayaan-3 mission revealing aluminium on the Moon, China's increasing primary aluminium imports to the strong price movements of the LME and SHFE contracts, opportunities and complexity abound. At the same time, the bauxite and alumina markets were subject to environmental impact assessments, production increases, and export bumps that are shaping global supply chains. Weekly Upstream Recap by AL Circle Pvt Ltd Regional update: Focus on primary aluminium India, with its Chandrayaan-3 mission, has marked a groundbreaking innovation on the Moon by detecting...
Aluminium prices held steady this week, even as demand from clean energy projects and electric vehicles pushed higher. Normally, stronger demand and technological advances would draw out more supply but this time, the opposite is happening. China, which accounts for more than half of world output, is still holding its annual cap near 45 million tonnes to meet climate goals. In the first half of 2025, production came in at 21.8 million tonnes, close to that ceiling. High power costs and tougher regulations abroad have also slowed smelting expansion. Raw materials are adding to the squeeze. Alumina prices have hit record highs this year, doubling the cost of production. Russia’s Rusal has already trimmed as much as 500,000 tonnes in response. Also read: Global Aluminium Industry Outlook...
China Aluminum International Engineering Corporation Limited, a comprehensive service for aluminium and non-ferrous metal and allied industries, has announced its unaudited Interim Results for the first half of the 2025 on August 29. The audited result will be released in September 2025, which will be available on both the Hong Kong Exchanges and the company's websites. With the announcement made, the firm reflects on its core values and its ongoing commitment to maintain transparency and compliance with the listed regulations. This further enhances the resilience of the company, strengthening its position in the market, providing the stakeholders with healthy financial data and insights. By providing comprehensive solutions for the advanced metal technologies, sets of equipment and...
As of August 28, 2025, National Aluminium Company Limited (NALCO), a leading manufacturer of alumina and aluminium in India, has announced its plan to increase the production level of special-grade, value-added and fused alumina . Alumina is currently in high demand, especially for refractories and other areas. Currently, the alumina consumption is deemed to be nearly 4.5 to 5 million tonnes and NALCO expects the growth for alumina consumption in India to reach 8 million tonnes by 2030. For FY26, the firm has the capex plan to reach INR 1,700 crores (USD 204 million). With no plans for disinvestment in the present scenario, the company's CMD, BP Singh, has enunciated their strategy to expand its alumina refinery by 1 million tonne, which will be commissioned by June 2026. Furthermore, the...
On August 28, aluminium prices on the London Metal Exchange softened slightly compared to the previous day. The LME aluminium cash bid price stood at USD 2,614 per tonne against USD 2,616 per tonne on August 27, marking a decline of 0.08 per cent, while the cash offer fell 0.11 per cent to USD 2,615 per tonne from USD 2,618 per tonne. The three-month bid slipped to USD 2,609.5 per tonne from USD 2,616 per tonne, down 0.25 per cent, and the three-month offer price moved to USD 2,610 per tonne from USD 2,616.5 per tonne, also lower by 0.25 per cent. Also read: Global Aluminium Industry Outlook 2025 For longer-dated contracts, the December 2026 bid price eased 0.26 per cent to USD 2,655 per tonne from USD 2,662 per tonne, while the offer price dropped to USD 2,660 per tonne from USD 2,667...
Aluminum Corporation of China Limited (Chalco) is a prominent player in the aluminium industry, primarily engaged in bauxite exploration and mining, alumina and primary aluminium production, and various related activities, has recently announced their H1 2025 financial results. In its latest earnings report for the first half of 2025, Chalco demonstrated strong financial performance, with a significant increase in operating revenue and net profit. The company reported a total profit of RMB 13.247 billion, reflecting a 2.16 per cent year-on-year growth, and a net profit attributable to shareholders of RMB 7.071 billion, marking a 0.81 per cent rise. Operating cash flow also saw a notable increase, reaching RMB 14.188 billion, up 5.24 per cent from the previous year. Key highlights from the...
As of Wednesday, August 27, the London Metal Exchange (LME)'s cash bid price and the offer price showed a surge, along with the 3-month cash bid and offer price. But, a dip is noticed concerning the 3-month Asian reference price and the alumina platts price. The LME aluminium cash bid price settled at USD 2,616 per tonne, a modest gain of USD 5 per tonne or 0.19 per cent, up from USD 2,611 per tonne the previous day. On the other hand, the LME aluminium offer price stood at USD 2,618 per tonne, gain of USD 6.5 per tonne or 0.24 per cent from the previous day, which was at USD 2,611.5 per tonne. The 3-month bid price also showed an upward movement by 0.34 per cent or USD 9 per tonne, where the recorded price stood at USD 2,616 per tonne on August 27 from USD 2,607 per tonne on August 26....
Chandrayaan-3 is back in the spotlight, and it's making waves in the world of space exploration! India's historic Moon mission, which landed on the Moon's South Pole on August 23, 2023, continues to uncover groundbreaking secrets of our celestial neighbour. Thanks to the Pragyan rover, scientists confirmed the presence of aluminium for the first time at the Moon's South Pole. But that's just the tip of the iceberg, as other elements like calcium, iron, chromium, titanium, manganese, silicon, and oxygen were also detected with the help of the rover's powerful spectrometers, offering fresh insights into the Moon's surface dynamics and hinting at the potential for water ice reserves, as reported by CNBCTV18. The mission has detected about 250 seismic signals in the region, with at least 50...
