Global primary aluminum production stood at 5.70mn mt in January, up by 4.2pc from 5.47mn mt in January 2019, according to the International Aluminum Institute.
In January, aluminum production in China rose by 6.8pc to 3.3mn mt compared with 3mn mt in the prior-year period. During the same timeframe, output in the rest of Asia also increased by 6.5pc to 376,000mt from 353,000mt.
In North America, primary aluminum production increased by 3pc to 340,000mt last month, compared with 330,000mt in January 2020. On the other hand, South America’s output fell by 3pc to 95,000mt from 98,000mt during the same period.
The output in East and Central Europe inched down by 0.8pc to 353,000mt in January from 356,000mt the same month in 2020. In West Europe, production trended flat at 285,000mt while output in the Middle East fell by 0.8pc on an annual basis to 494,000mt from 498,000mt.
Production decreased by 2.2pc in Africa to 133,000mt in January from 136,000mt in the same month last year while Oceania produced 161,000mt of aluminum, up by 0.6pc during the same period. The estimated unreported production in the rest of the world remained unchanged at 170,000mt.