Global primary aluminium production rose by 1.52pc in March to 5.4mn mt from 5.3mn mt in the prior year, according to the International Aluminium Institute (IAI). The daily average output was 176,700mt, up by 1.55pc from a year ago.
China was the largest producer of primary aluminium in March with an output of 3.1mn mt, down by 2.04pc from the prior March. Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), the second-largest producer, registered an output of 507,000mt, up by 9.27pc from 464,000mt in the prior year. East and Central Europe stood third with an output of 354,000mt, up by 1.43pc from 349,000mt, whereas aluminium output in West Europe went down by 3.04pc to 287,000mt from 296,000mt a year ago.
Aluminium output of Asia (excluding China) dropped by 7.94pc to 348,000mt from 378,000mt in the prior year period.
North America produced 342,000mt primary aluminium, up by 5.23pc from 325,000mt in the prior year, followed by Oceania with an output of 160,000mt, down by 1.23pc from a year ago.
Africa produced 138,000mt of primary aluminium in March, down by 4.17pc from 144,000mt the prior year. South America recorded the lowest primary aluminium output in March at 91,000mt, up by 2.25pc from 89,000mt the year prior. Rest of the World unreported aluminium production in March was 150,000mt, unchanged from the prior year.