United States’ primary aluminium production in 2021 shrinks 12% to 889,000 tonnes; but output in December records 5% growth

Domestic primary aluminium production in the United States in December 2021 stood at 79,000 tonnes, an increase of 4,000 tonnes or 5.33 per cent month-on-month, showed the US Census Bureau’s recently reported data. In November 2021, the United States’ primary aluminium output was 75,000 tonnes, down by 1,000 tonnes from the previous month. Hence, the total production the last quarter of the year ended December 31 amounted to 230,000 tonnes.

On a year-on-year calculation, domestic primary aluminium production in the US in December 2021 stood 2,000 tonnes or 2.6 per cent higher than 77,000 tonnes.

The average daily production in December 2021 was 2,560 tonnes in comparison with 2,510 tonnes in November 2021 and 2,480 tonnes in December 2020.

In full-year 2021, the United States domestic primary aluminium production totalled 889,000 tonnes, 12 per cent less than 1.01 million tonnes in 2020. Daily average output in the entire year was 2,440 tonnes per day.

Total amount of aluminium recovered from scrap in December 2021 was 261,000 tonnes, up by 12,000 tonnes or 4.82 per cent from 249,000 tonnes a year ago but down by 4,000 tonnes or 1.51 per cent from 265,000 tonnes in November 2021. Of this, 139,000 tonnes of aluminium was recovered from new scrap and 122,000 tonnes from old scrap.

In December 2021, the average US spot market price of primary aluminium ingot was $1.49 per pound, slightly more than in November 2021 and 41 per cent higher than in December 2020.

Inventories of primary aluminum in LME-approved warehouses, including off-warrant inventories, in the United States decreased to 57,437 tonnes at the end of December 2021 from 65,217 t at the end of November 2021. Inventories of secondary aluminum (North American Secondary Aluminum Alloy Contract) in LME-approved warehouses, including off-warrant inventories, in the United States increased to 11,407 tonnes at the end of December 2021 from 9,114 tonnes at the end of November 2021.