Russia’s aluminium wire export to grow 18% in 2019; Belarus to be the highest importer

High cost saving is one of the factors that has been increasingly bolstering the shift from using copper wire to aluminium wire and therefore, the demand for the latter. Considering a transformation cost of US$1,5 per kg for copper and US$ 5 per kg for aluminium, the final cost for the user will be almost similar, but the weight of aluminium is 1/3 of copper. And even considering 10% more consumption of aluminium, saving is approximately 60% of the cost of the coil.

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Aluminium wires are widely used in various home electrical appliances, switches, circuit breakers and motors. Beside cost saving and light-weight properties, aluminium wires are corrosion resistant.

So, backed on the increasing demand, the exports and imports of aluminium wire have also been found growing across the globe. According to the global data, Russia in 2019 is expected to export 130,809 tonnes, compared with 111,156 tonnes in 2018. This means the country’s aluminium wire export is likely to grow 18 per cent this year. Last year, the export volume was down by 29 per cent from 156,231 tonnes in 2017. However, according to the Federal Custom Service of Russia, the country exported aluminium wire worth $16.4 million to Ukraine in 2018, which was a 168% increase compared to the same period of 2017. Top 5 importers of Russian aluminium wire in 2018 included Belarus (30.4%), the USA (10.3%), Switzerland (9.5%), Kazakhstan (8.2%) and Ukraine (7.5%). In 2017, Russia’s export volume grew by around 152 per cent from 61,915 tonnes in 2016.

Now coming to the export revenue, Russia is estimated to yield US$281 million in 2019 from its aluminium wire export, up 23 per cent from US$228 million in 2018. In 2017, the country had generated US$280 million, which indicates that the export value in 2018 had decreased 19 per cent over the year, in tandem with the drop in export volume in the same year. Also, as a consequence of the increase in export volume in 2017, Russia’s aluminium wire export valued at a 172 per cent higher from US$103 million in 2016.

This year, Belarus is expected to stand as the highest importer of wire from Russia by securing 29,140 tonnes at US$70 million, followed by Ukraine by hauling 13,958 tonnes at US$33 million.