Aluminium billet inventories rose 25,100 mt on week

[SMM Flash]Today, SHFE aluminum futures rose for consecutive sessions. Against the backdrop of high aluminum prices, buying sentiment among downstream processing enterprises in central China was low, with a focus on delaying purchases to reduce in-factory inventory. Meanwhile, both premiums and absolute prices stayed high. Suppliers actively shipped goods, showing no significant intention to hold prices firm, leading to a price collapse in the market. Overall, actual transaction prices in the central China market centered on a premium of -80 to -120 yuan/mt against the SHFE aluminum September contract.

[SMM Aluminum Alloy Express] This week, China's social inventory of cast aluminum alloy ingots recorded 31,800 mt, up 3,700 mt WoW, marking the third consecutive week of inventory buildup. The market remains in the traditional consumption off-season, with downstream die-casting enterprises showing weak purchase willingness and primarily making just-in-time procurement. Meanwhile, purchases by futures and spot traders contributed to the social inventory intake to some extent. In the short term, social inventory is expected to continue its slight upward trend.

Recently, five government agencies, including the Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission and the Zhongguancun Science Park Administrative Committee, announced the list of projects selected for Beijing’s New Technologies, New Products, and New Services (the 21st batch overall). Two key automotive lightweighting technologies submitted by Chalco Materials Research Institute were successfully selected: “Development and Industrialisation of Key Technologies for Integrated Battery Swapping Assembly at the Bottom of New Energy Heavy-Duty Trucks” and “Research and Application of Key Technologies for Aluminum-for-Steel Substitution in All-Aluminum Auto Body Lightweighting.” They were classified under the high-end equipment and new manufacturing technologies category. Among them, the battery swapping assembly technology independently developed the 6E21 aluminum alloy, which has been deployed in scenarios such as trunk logistics, ports, and mining areas. The all-aluminum auto body technology achieves a 20%–30% weight reduction for body structural components, and the related achievements have been mass-produced in aluminum structural parts for auto bodies of mainstream NEVs in China.