Capacity Cut Rumor to Allow SHFE Aluminum Outperform LME Aluminum, SMM Expects

[SMM Secondary Aluminum Alloy Daily Review] Secondary aluminum alloy market quotations were generally lowered by 100 yuan/mt today. Affected by the pullback in futures, most enterprises lowered their quotations accordingly. However, as aluminum scrap raw material prices remained at a relatively high level, the cost side provided some support for ADC12 prices, and enterprises were generally restrained in the extent of their price adjustments. Demand side, downstream procurement still mainly met immediate needs, and no concentrated restocking driven by the price pullback had yet emerged. Wait-and-see sentiment in the market increased somewhat, and overall trading remained relatively stable.

[SMM Aluminum Flash News] The Guangxi Qiangqiang Carbon-Based New Materials prebaked anode project, with an annual capacity of 600,000 mt, officially commenced construction in April 2025 and is expected to begin trial production in July 2026. The first calcining furnace is estimated to start production by the end of March; the roasting furnace is expected to start production by the end of May, with the forming workshop producing the first green anode, marking the project’s full integration; and the first baked anode is expected to be produced by the end of July.

According to Alba’s official website on March 15, Alba has initiated a controlled and safe shutdown of Production Lines 1, 2, and 3, involving capacity equivalent to 19% of its total capacity of 1.623 million mt, with the aim of optimizing the utilization of Alba’s existing raw material inventory and prioritizing the operational stability of Production Lines 4, 5, and 6.