North American aluminum demand up 5.3% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2022

On May 24, the North American Aluminum Association (hereinafter referred to as the “Aluminum Association”) stated that the investment in the U.S. aluminum industry in the past 12 months has reached the peak level in recent decades, boosting the North American aluminum demand in the first quarter of 2022 to increase by about 5.3% year-on-year.
“The outlook for the U.S. aluminum industry remains very strong,” Charles Johnson, CEO of the Aluminum Association, said in a statement. “The economic recovery, growing demand for recyclable and sustainable materials, and tightening trade policy have all made the U.S. a very Attractive aluminium producer. As evidenced by the fastest pace of investment in the sector in decades.”
North American aluminum demand in the first quarter of 2022 is estimated at about 7 million pounds, based on shipments and imports from U.S. and Canadian producers. In North America, demand for aluminum sheet and plate increased by 15.2% year-on-year in the first quarter, and demand for extruded materials increased by 7.3%. North American imports of aluminum and aluminum products increased by 37.4% year-on-year in the first quarter, climbing again after a 21.3% increase in 2021. Despite the increase in imports, the Aluminum Association also said that North American aluminum imports were still below the record level of 2017.
According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. aluminum imports totaled 5.56 million tons in 2021 and 4.9 million tons in 2020, down from 6.87 million tons in 2017. In 2018, the U.S. imposed a 10 percent tariff on aluminum imports from most countries.
At the same time, the Aluminum Association also said that North American aluminum exports fell 29.8% year-on-year in the first quarter.
The Aluminum Association expects North American aluminum demand to grow 8.2% (revised) to 26.4 million pounds in 2021, after the association forecast 2021 aluminum demand growth of 7.7%.
According to the statistics of the Aluminum Association, in the past year, the aluminum-related investment in the United States reached 3.5 billion US dollars, and in the past ten years, the aluminum-related investment exceeded 6.5 billion US dollars.
Among the aluminum projects in the United region this year: In May 2022, Norberis will invest $2.5 billion in an aluminum rolling and recycling facility in Bay Minette, Alabama, the largest single aluminum investment in the United States in recent decades.
In April, Hedru broke ground on an aluminum recycling and extrusion plant in Cassopolis, Michigan, with an annual capacity of 120,000 tons and is expected to start production in 2023.


Post time: Jun-01-2022