In January 2025, China's primary aluminum industry operated steadily. The installed capacity of primary aluminum in China reached 44.62 million tons per year, with operating capacity at 43.61 million tons per year, unchanged from the previous month. The production in January is estimated to be 3.738 million tons, a slight increase of 0.1% month-on-month and a 4.3% year-on-year growth. The average daily production was 120,600 tons, showing a slight increase of 0.1% month-on-month.
Figure 1: China's Primary Aluminum Annualized Production
Source: Antaike
In December 2024, the average daily production of primary aluminum overseas was 81,000 tons, a slight decrease of 0.1% month-on-month but a 0.9% year-on-year increase. From a year-on-year perspective, except for Oceania, which experienced a decline in production, all other regions achieved year-on-year growth, with Central and Western Europe recording the largest increase at 7.4%. On a month-on-month basis, production in major regions showed varying degrees of growth, with Oceania experiencing the largest increase at 4.7%.
Figure 2: IAI Overseas Primary Aluminum Annualized Production
Source: International Aluminum Institute (IAI)