Tariff fallout: US aluminium trade trends down with imports dampened by 12% in February 2025
There was widespread speculation that US aluminium imports might surge ahead of the 25 per cent tariff implementation on March 12, driven by businesses rushing to bring in shipments before the duty took effect. At the same time, concerns mounted over the potential impact of the tariffs on aluminium inflows, particularly from Canada, the United States’ largest supplier, accounting for 57 per cent of its total aluminium imports. Major American producers like Alcoa, which manufactures 70 per cent of its aluminium in Canada, also raised serious alarms about the possible consequences of the policy.
Now, with the US import data for January and February 2025 available, it’s time to assess what actually happened. Did aluminium imports spike ahead of the tariff, or did the impending duty already begin to dampen trade?
According to the US Geological Survey, the United States in February 2025 imported 459,000 tonnes of aluminium (including scrap), down by 12.24 per cent M-o-M from 523,000 tonnes. Even if calculated on a Y-o-Y basis, the import volume in February decreased by 6.7 per cent from 492,000 tonnes.
Unlock full access – sign up for FREE.
Key benefits
Century Aluminum’s poor Q1 results lead to deflating stock performance
Next articleAlba hits historic safety milestone: 35 million safe working hours without LTI
Grow with
AL Circle
