China’s 45Mt aluminium cap pushes producers overseas as global dominance grows
China’s aluminium industry is running close to its limits in 2026. As Shanghai aluminium prices near a three-month high, historically low raw material costs and strong smelter margins encourage producers to operate at maximum capacity. National aluminium output remains above Beijing’s...
WEEKLY: Guinea shipments surge but freight costs keep China bauxite spot split, prices pinned in tight band
China's domestic ore prices held steady last week. In Shanxi, a limited volume of relatively lower-grade domestic ore was concluded under long-term contracts at approximately RMB 530 per tonne. In Henan, the expected increase in domestic ore output has yet to materialise, leaving the supply-demand...
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With global aluminium extrusion consumption around 35.25 MT in 2025, how are various sectors and regions performing?
High-rise façades, electric vehicles, electronics and solar installations all rely on aluminium extrusion, where heated billets are shaped into precise, high-strength profiles. Its lightweight, durable and adaptable nature makes it widely used, as industries continue to prioritise efficiency and...
Aluminium declines as the dollar strengthens, yet supply tightness lingers
After slipping by 1.1 per cent, the aluminium prices settled at INR 346.1, which is influenced by a stronger US dollar, with the future hope for further interest rate cuts from the Federal Reserve seeming to be fading. Irrespective of the dip, aluminium prices were supported throughout the week,...
NBS: China's primary aluminium output rises 3 per cent Y-o-Y during Jan-Feb
Normally, the NBS consolidates production data for January and February to minimise distortions caused by the Chinese New Year (CNY) holiday, which usually falls in either of the two months, Mysteel Global notes. To know more about the global primary aluminium industry 2026 outlook, book the report...
Tianshan Aluminum falls 4.21% in broader sell-off; performance tells another story
On March 16, Tianshan Aluminum Group Co., Ltd., a China-based aluminium sheet provider, experienced a drop in its stock price, sliding by 4.21 per cent to reach an intraday low of CNY 18.50 (USD 2.66). The decline is taking place against the backdrop of a wider market downturn, as the China...
Declining aluminium prices boost market procurement sentiment, premiums stabilise
The SHFE aluminium 04 contract opened higher and extended gains today, while market transactions were relatively sluggish. Futures later fell, and as buying sentiment strengthened and price acceptance improved, transaction prices in the spot market moved higher. Today’s mainstream quotations and...
DAILY: Chinese alumina prices climb further in spot, futures markets
Meanwhile, regional price assessments for the same grade of spot alumina rose across China's five major alumina production hubs. The assessed prices in Shandong, Henan, Shanxi, and Guizhou provinces and in the Guangxi autonomous region all increased by RMB 5 per tonne on the day, averaging between...
South Korea's alumina imports rise 6 per cent y-o-y in 2025
Meanwhile, the value of the country's alumina imports reached USD114.3 million during the year, rising by 7.7 per cent on the year. China, Australia and Indonesia were the three largest suppliers of South Korea's imported alumina last year, accounting for 22 per cent, 21.8 per cent and 16.1 per...
China's aluminium scrap prices surge again on bullish sentiment
On March 9, for example, the average price for domestically-generated #6063 aluminium scrap in South China's Guangdong province had jumped by 5.9 Per Cent from the end of February to reach RMB 19,750 per tonne (USD 2,872 per tonne), the highest since January 2023, according to Mysteel's assessment....
As EU import bans loom large, Russia plans to redirect LNG supplies to Asia from Europe
Anticipating the European Union’s (EU) upcoming restrictions on Russian gas imports and aided by President Vladimir Putin, Russia is preparing to redirect part of its liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipments currently supplied to Europe to alternative global markets. The push is aligned with Moscow...
Secondary aluminium operating rate plunged in february march recovery was set to rebound significantly
Survey data on the operating rates of secondary aluminium alloy enterprises by region and by scale in February 2026. According to the SMM survey, the operating rate of secondary aluminium producers in February 2026 fell by 18.1 percentage points M-o-M from January to 23.2 per cent, down 9.4...
DAILY: Chinese spot alumina prices climb further, futures weaken
Mysteel assessed the national average spot price for smelter-grade alumina with a purity above 98.6 per cent at RMB 2,686 per tonne (USD 391.2 per tonne), including the 13 per cent VAT on Tuesday, up RMB 4 per tonne from Monday. The price marked the highest level since mid-January, Mysteel Global...
China Hongqiao Group shares surged by 585% amid rising aluminium prices and growing demand
China Hongqiao Group, one of the world’s largest aluminium producers, has seen its market value rise significantly since 2019. The company’s shares have surged by about 585 per cent since Zhang took control of the business that year. The company supplies aluminium to several major Chinese...
MYSTEEL: China's coal output seen staying broadly stable in '26
Inner Mongolia, China's second-largest coal-producing region, said it will keep annual raw coal production stable at around 1.3 billion tonnes during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), according to a broader economic and social development blueprint released by the regional government. For...
Rising costs coupled with declining tender prices highlight production pressure on aluminium fluoride enterprises
This week, the tender price for aluminium fluoride by leading downstream benchmark enterprises was finalised, and aluminium fluoride prices declined somewhat. As of now, SMM aluminium fluoride prices closed at RMB 10,180-10,450 per tonne; cryolite prices also weakened, with SMM cryolite quotes at...
Chinalco reaffirms its confidence in SMS group’s aluminum rolling technology by placing follow-up order for tandem cold rolling mill
Chinalco Southwest Aluminum (Group) Co., Ltd. (SWA) has awarded SMS group the contract to supply a two-stand tandem cold rolling mill (TCM), which will be installed at SWA’s new facility near Xipeng, China. Explore- Most accurate data to drive business decisions with Global ALuminium Industry...
Inventory turning point failed to materialise, aluminium billet market remained sluggish
According to SMM statistics, as of March 5, aluminium billet inventory in China’s major domestic consumption hubs totalled 398,000 tonnes. Inventory first increased and then declined, still hovering around 400,000 tonnes. Across the major consumption hubs, regional divergence persisted. Foshan...
MYSTEEL: Middle East disruptions may lift China's alumina supply
Escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East since February 28 are likely to disrupt primary aluminium production there and cause additional alumina cargoes to be redirected to markets outside the region including China, according to Mysteel's recent analytical report on the commodity. The...
China signals shift in operational strategy of alumina refining and copper smelting
China has proposed a unique strategy to address structural balances in heavy industries. While the country intends to strengthen supervision and management in industries such as alumina, copper, coal, and chemicals, the authorities aim at reducing production in sectors like steel manufacturing and...
