China’s aluminum industry showed mixed performance in August 2025, with steady overall output growth amid structural adjustments across the supply chain. According to the latest data, primary aluminum production reached 3.79 million tons, marking a 2.66% year-on-year increase and a 0.35% month-on-month rise, reflecting stable capacity utilization at 97.62%.
At the upstream sector, alumina production maintained strong growth momentum with 7.925 million tons produced in August, up 7.5% year-on-year. This growth was driven by increased capacity in northern regions, though supply remained tight in southern China due to delayed new projects and maintenance activities. The robust alumina output provided solid support for subsequent processing stages.
However, electrolytic aluminum production presented a different picture, with 3.8 million tons produced, a slight 0.5% year-on-year decrease. This decline mainly resulted from capacity relocation activities, as production shifted from Shandong to Yunnan province, and technical upgrades at some facilities . Despite the monthly dip, cumulative electrolytic aluminum output from January to August still grew 2.2% year-on-year to 30.14 million tons.
Downstream processing sectors showed divergence. Total aluminum products output reached 5.548 million tons but declined 4.2% year-on-year. Specifically, aluminum rod production stood at 1.2044 million tons, dropping 5.01% year-on-year due to weak export demand. Meanwhile, aluminum alloy production bucked the trend with significant growth of 15.2% to 1.635 million tons, driven by strong demand from new energy and automotive sectors.
Export markets remained challenging, with unwrought aluminum and aluminum products exports falling 10.2% year-on-year to 530,000 tons in August. This decline was partially offset by growing alumina exports, which rose 26% to 180,000 tons.
Market sentiment was reflected in aluminum prices, which showed a “rise-then-fall” pattern in August, averaging 20,659 yuan/ton. The fluctuation mainly resulted from seasonal demand weakness despite optimistic expectations for the traditional peak season in September-October.
China’s aluminum industry maintained resilience in August, with structural adjustments continuing under policy guidance. The sector is moving towards higher-quality development, focusing on clean energy adoption and advanced processing capabilities to meet evolving domestic and international market demands.
Post time: Sep-24-2025