World primary aluminium production dips 1.4% Y-o-Y to 16.549 Mt in 1Q2022

World primary aluminium production in the first quarter of 2022 totalled 16.549 million tonnes, registering a quarter-on-quarter downfall of 0.53 per cent from 16.637 million tonnes, found the International Aluminium Institute (IAI). On a year-on-year calculation, the output in Q1 2022 also recorded a decline by about 1.40 per cent from 16.786 million tonnes. 

The data revealed as IAI published that world primary aluminium production in March 2022 came in at 5.739 million tonnes compared to 5.150 million tonnes in February. That was a month-on-month increase of 11.44 per cent in March, following a decline in the previous month by about 9.01 per cent from 5.660 million tonnes in January.

On a year-on-year basis, world primary aluminium output in March 2022 stood 0.70 per cent less than 5.780 million tonnes.

The International Aluminium Institute data also showed that daily average production in March'22 was 185,100 tonnes, up by 0.65 per cent month-on-month from 183,900 tonnes but down year-on-year by 0.75 per cent from 186,500 tonnes.

China, the world’s leading aluminium producer, churned out 3.341 million tonnes of primary aluminium in March, which was 12.11 per cent up from 2.980 million tonnes in February. But over a year, the output recorded a 0.68 per cent decline from 3.364 million tonnes.

 In the entire quarter ended March, China produced 9.573 million tonnes, 1.11 per cent more than 9.468 million tonnes in Q4 2021 but 2.07 per cent less than 9.775 million tonnes in Q1 2021.

In the Gulf countries, primary aluminium production in March 2022 stood at 517,000 tonnes, an increase of 11.42 per cent from 464,000 tonnes a month ago and a rise of 4.23 per cent from 496,000 tonnes a year earlier.

In 1Q2022, primary aluminium production in the Gulf region amounted to 1.495 million tonnes, down by 1.25 per cent Q-o-Q from 1.514 million tonnes but up by 3.75 per cent Y-o-Y from 1.441 million tonnes.