US aluminium crude metals and alloys imports shrink 9% Y-o-Y in 1Q2023; but imports from Canada rise 11%

The United States aluminium crude metals and alloys imports closed the first quarter of 2023, ended March 31, at 861,000 tonnes, down by 8.99 per cent or 103,000 tonnes year-on-year from 946,000 tonnes, found the US Census Bureau survey.

Following the yearly fall in 1Q2022, the United States March imports also reflected a year-on-year decrease of 7.33 per cent from 341,000 tonnes to 316,000 tonnes. However, on a month-on-month basis, the imports edged a surge of 32.77 per cent from 238,000 tonnes, following a sequential drop of 22.48 per cent in February.

Canada, the largest supplier of aluminium crude metals and alloys to the US, exported 216,000 tonnes in March 2023 versus 160,000 tonnes in February. That indicated a month-on-month hike of 35 per cent in the United States' aluminium crude metals and alloys imports from Canada. On an annual calculation, the US imports from Canada in March stood 18.03 per cent higher than 183,000 tonnes.

In the entire first quarter, the United States imported 606,000 tonnes of aluminium crude metals and alloys from Canada compared to 545,000 tonnes during the same period of the previous year. That showed the US imports in Q1 grew by 11.19 per cent year-on-year.

After Canada, the United Arab Emirates stood as the second largest supplier of extruded aluminium to the US in March, exporting 30,400 tonnes – 19.22 per cent more than 25,500 tonnes in February but 19.15 per cent less than 37,600 tonnes in March 2022.