High Prices Drive Resumption & New Projects; Overseas Primary Aluminum Daily Output Rises 0.4% MoM in May

Published: May 29, 2026 22:57

Save

SMM News, May 29:

According to SMM statistics, the total output of primary aluminum overseas in May 2026 fell year-on-year by 9.9%, mainly due to large-scale production cuts at aluminum smelters in the Middle East. The average daily overseas output edged up 0.4% month-on-month, supported by production resumptions at smelters in the US, Spain and Iceland, as well as ramping-up output from new projects in Indonesia.

As revealed in the Q4 and full-year financial report of Vedanta Aluminium for Fiscal Year 2026, Balco Aluminium Plant has launched the first production run on India’s most advanced 525kA primary aluminum production lines. The plant’s total production capacity has expanded to 1 million metric tons, and the project is expected to enter a steady output ramping phase.

Looking ahead to June 2026, production resumptions at aluminum smelters in the US and Iceland will continue. Driven by high price levels, new primary aluminum projects in Indonesia will accelerate construction, and some are expected to commence power connection and commissioning gradually. The expanded capacity at Balco in India will keep ramping up.

Overall, overseas primary aluminum output will remain in year-on-year decline in the short term, while the average daily output will maintain month-on-month growth amid ongoing production resumptions and capacity ramping of new projects. Market participants shall keep a close eye on official announcements from aluminum producers across the Middle East, Indonesia and India.

Data Source Statement: Except for publicly available information, all other data are processed by SMM based on publicly available information, market communication, and relying on SMM's internal database model. They are for reference only and do not constitute decision-making recommendations.

For any inquiries or for more information, please contact: lemonzhao@smm.cn

For more information on how to access our research reports, please contact:service.en@smm.cn

Related News

8 hours ago

SHFE aluminum consolidates on a strong note and stands firm above moving averages, alumina rebounds with position reduction and weakness eases [SMM Aluminum Brief Review]

8 hours ago

9 hours ago

SHFE Cast Aluminum Alloy Warrants Down 59 mt to 17,374 mt on Aug 5

[SMM Snapshot] SHFE data shows that as of August 5, total registered warrants for cast aluminum alloy stood at 17,374 mt, down 59 mt from the previous trading day. Of this, Shanghai registered 1,506 mt, unchanged; Guangdong registered 1,342 mt, down 88 mt; Jiangsu registered 3,806 mt, unchanged; Zhejiang registered 6,961 mt, up 29 mt; Chongqing registered 2,974 mt, unchanged; and Sichuan registered 785 mt, unchanged.

9 hours ago

10 hours ago

[Ford's July U.S. sales drop over 10% as aluminum shortage constrains F-Series truck output]

Ford sold 169,951 vehicles in the U.S. in July, down more than 10% year-on-year, with the decline driven by tight F-Series pickup availability tied to an aluminium supply disruption, the discontinuation of the Escape crossover, and a planned pullback in low-margin rental fleet sales; the shortage traces back to fires that halted production at supplier Novelis Inc.'s hot mill last autumn, though the facility resumed operations in June, F-Series inventory remained thin at around 45 days' supply by end of July, and F-Series sales themselves fell 6.5% even as Ford said underlying retail demand for trucks and SUVs stayed resilient, with rental fleet deliveries cut 96% to prioritize retail allocation.

10 hours ago