US aluminium scrap recovery grows at a higher rate in Aug’24 in contrast to sluggish primary metal output

The United States’ increased focus on the secondary aluminium industry led to a year-on-year decline in its primary aluminium production for another month but a rise in aluminium recovery from scrap. According to the data from the US Geological Survey, the United States’ primary aluminium production in August decreased 6,000 tonnes or 9.7 per cent year-on-year, while scrap recovery gained 17,000 tonnes or 6.07 per cent.

Delving deeper into the data, we find the United States’ primary aluminium production in August stood at 56,000 tonnes against 62,000 tonnes in August 2023 and 57,000 tonnes in July 2024. In line with the decline in monthly production, the United States average daily production in August also slipped over the year as well as month.

On a year-on-year basis, the daily output in August fell by 9 per cent from 2,000 tonnes per day to 1,820 tonnes, while that over a month dipped slightly from 1,830 tonnes.