Aluminium Sheets And Plates

Germany’s aluminium FRP consumption reaches 1.68 Mt as 2025 trade surplus tops $3.1 billion
05 OCT 20267MINS

Germany’s aluminium FRP consumption reaches 1.68 Mt as 2025 trade surplus tops $3.1 billion

Germany’s aluminium flat-rolled products (FRP) market is revealing a striking disconnect between its shrinking primary aluminium base and its still substantial downstream manufacturing capacity. Estimated German FRP consumption reached 1.68 million tonnes in 2025, up from approximately 1.66 million tonnes in 2024, even as domestic primary aluminium production had fallen sharply in previous years. The latest trade data add another layer to the picture. Germany’s combined imports of aluminium plates, sheets and strip above 0.2 mm (CN 7606) and aluminium foil of 0.2 mm or less (CN 7607) reached approximately USD 5.04 billion in 2025, while exports climbed to USD 8.18 billion. That left a combined trade surplus of about USD 3.14 billion across the two FRP categories. Germany remains a net...

10 SEPT 20262MINS

Aluminium eggshells take on space debris with nearly 65% impact reduction

Researchers at Dalian University of Technology in China have tested a spacecraft protection structure made from water-filled aluminium eggshells, with the design reducing the velocity of an impact projectile by nearly 65 per cent. The research, published in the Journal of Applied Physics , looked at ways to protect spacecraft from the growing amount of debris in near-Earth orbit. Researchers estimate that nearly 1 million pieces of debris larger than 1 cm are currently in orbit. Aluminium shells absorb impact energy Author Yuxin Wang said, "A single eggshell breaks easily under local force, but the protection mechanism of the eggshell array is completely different.” The design uses small aluminium eggshell-shaped structures filled with water and placed between two aluminium plates. The...


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China aluminium sheet, strip and foil defy off-season lull; "golden September" rally in sight
Downstream10 SEPT 2026

China aluminium sheet, strip and foil defy off-season lull; "golden September" rally in sight

China's aluminium sheet, strip and foil sector posted a stronger-than-expected off-season performance in August 2026, based on Mysteel's data. Specially, the weekly output eased modestly from July peaks but held steady near 390,000 tonnes, with operating rates hovering around 70 per cent. Orders stimulated by July's lower prices continued to be delivered through August, driving a drawdown in finished goods inventories followed by stabilisation -- a "not-so-quiet off-season" scenario. As the traditional "Golden September, Silver October" peak consumption season approaches, and with traders' inventories of primary aluminium having fallen to a low of 790,000 tonnes, downstream offtake demand is expected to release gradually. Operating rates and output in the sheet, strip and foil sector are...

Canada’s aluminium plates, sheets and strip imports fall 8.9% in H1 2026 as China shipments rise 52.4%
Downstream04 SEPT 2026

Canada’s aluminium plates, sheets and strip imports fall 8.9% in H1 2026 as China shipments rise 52.4%

Canada imported 195,000 tonnes of aluminium plates, sheets and strip in the first half of 2026, down from 214,000 tonnes during the same period of 2025. Total imports were therefore lower by 8.9 per cent year-on-year, although the second quarter saw a stronger volume of shipments than the first. Imports stood at 82,000 tonnes in Q1 2026 and rose to 113,000 tonnes in Q2, an increase of 37.8 per cent quarter-on-quarter. Canada had imported 98,000 tonnes in the first quarter and 116,000 tonnes in the second quarter in the same period last year. China is the largest supplier among the countries listed. Exports to Canada reached 64,000 tonnes in H1 2026, compared with 42,000 tonnes in H1 2025. This was an increase of 52.4 per cent. The quarterly data also shows that growth accelerated sharply...

August aluminium processing PMI saw weak recovery, sector divergence intensified; September expected to return to expansion territory
Downstream31 AUG 2026

August aluminium processing PMI saw weak recovery, sector divergence intensified; September expected to return to expansion territory

In August, China's aluminium processing industry composite PMI recorded 48.7 per cent, up slightly from July but still below the 50 mark, with the industry overall showing "weak recovery" characteristics and significant divergence across segments. Aluminium wire and cable was the strongest performer, with a PMI of 54.5 per cent, up 10.1 percentage points M-o-M; accelerating implementation of power grid orders combined with front-loaded stockpiling for the September-October peak season drove sharp rebounds in the new orders index and new export orders, and producers actively prepared materials and restocked, with only the production-side recovery pace slightly lagging the recovery in orders. Aluminium foil recorded a PMI of 52.1 per cent, as the completion of maintenance and production...

China aluminium plate, strip and foil output holds up; peak season outlook clouded by rapid price rise
Downstream18 AUG 2026

China aluminium plate, strip and foil output holds up; peak season outlook clouded by rapid price rise

In July, SHFE aluminium traced a bottoming-out-and-rebounding path with a choppy upward bias. The settlement price of the most-traded aluminium contract climbed steadily from around RMB 22,500 per tonne in early July and gained RMB 1,110 per tonne, up roughly 4.9 per cent, by month-end. Even though July is a traditional off-season, China's aluminium plate, strip, and foil sector ran broadly stable. Weekly output eased modestly but held at about 390,000 tonnes, with operating rates staying in the 70 per cent-71 per cent range. Finished goods inventories first fell and then rose, with a late-July drawdown followed by a slight rebuild in early August. Mysteel's survey of 130 sampled aluminium plate, strip, and foil producers shows weekly output slipping from 393,170 tonnes in early July to...

Fraunhofer IWU develops aluminium foam panels to keep cargo ships moving in low water
End User13 AUG 2026

Fraunhofer IWU develops aluminium foam panels to keep cargo ships moving in low water

Fraunhofer IWU is developing lightweight aluminium foam sandwich panels that could help inland cargo vessels continue operating when low water levels force conventional ships to reduce their loads or risk running aground. The proposed shipbuilding structure could reduce vessel weight by approximately 30 per cent compared with conventional shipbuilding steel. During low-water periods, this could allow vessels to carry up to 30 per cent more cargo relative to their net weight, or transport the same cargo while navigating in shallower water. The approach could offer an alternative to two difficult choices facing European freight networks: deepening river channels, which can raise environmental concerns, or shifting heavy cargo to roads, which would increase pressure on already busy routes...

Türkiye's aluminium imports fall 10.4% YTD 2026 as import value rises 11.5%: Which downstream products lead imports?
Downstream27 JUL 2026

Türkiye's aluminium imports fall 10.4% YTD 2026 as import value rises 11.5%: Which downstream products lead imports?

Türkiye's aluminium import trends during January-May 2026 present a mixed picture, with lower import volumes but higher import values. Comparing the latest data with the previous two years provides insights into how the country's import mix has evolved and whether its downstream aluminium trade has maintained its share of total imports. Türkiye's cumulative aluminium imports (January-May) YTD 2026: 799,558.22 tonnes, valued at USD 2.9 billion (down 10.4 per cent in volume from YTD 2025, while import value rose 11.5 per cent) YTD 2025: 892,320.27 tonnes, valued at USD 2.6 billion (up 22.9 per cent in volume from YTD 2024, while import value increased 36.8 per cent) YTD 2024: 726,126.13 tonnes, valued at USD 1.9 billion Of the total aluminium imported by Türkiye during the January-May...

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