Aluminum industry in the United States explained

The aluminum industry in the United States in 2023 produced 860 thousand metric tons of aluminum from refined metal ore (primary production), at six smelters. In addition, US industry recycled 3.4 million tons of aluminum (so-called secondary production aluminum).[1] Total annual imports of metal and alloy for use in secondary production stood at 2.6 million metric tons in the year to August 2023, with the previous decade seeing a fundamental shift toward recycled production.[2]

Primary production

In 2014, primary aluminum, which is produced from bauxite, was produced by three companies at nine smelters. Primary aluminum is preferred for high-quality uses such as aircraft. The leader in US production was Alcoa. Also operating multiple primary plants was Century Aluminum.

Primary production volume in 1999 was 3.8 million metric ton and by 2023, it has dropped to an annual volume of 785,000 metric ton.[3] By March 2024, there are four operating plants with a combined yearly capacity of 650,000 metric tons. In 1980, there were approximately 30 smelters in operation in the US.[4] US had a global market share of under 2% of primary aluminum in 2022.[5]

Primary Aluminum Smelters in the US

NameLocationOwnerStatus and Date
align=center Warrick Plantalign=center Evansville, Indianaalign=center Alcoaalign=center Operating, July 2022[6]
align=center Massena Plantalign=center Massena, New Yorkalign=center Alcoaalign=center Operating, April 2014[7]
align=center Mt Holly Plantalign=center Mount Holly, South Carolinaalign=center Century Aluminumalign=center Operating, December 2014[8]
align=center Sebree Plantalign=center Sebree, Kentuckyalign=center Century Aluminumalign=center Operating, May 2015[9]
align=center Noranda Plantalign=center New Madrid, Missourialign=center Magnitude 7 Metalsalign=center Curtailed, January 2024[10]
align=center Hawesville Plantalign=center Hawesville, Kentuckyalign=center Century Aluminumalign=center Idled, June 2022[11]
align=center Intalco Plantalign=center Ferndale, Washingtonalign=center Alcoaalign=center Closed, March 2023[12]
align=center Ravenswood Plantalign=center Ravenswood, West Virginiaalign=center Century Aluminumalign=center Closed, July 2015[13]
align=center Ormet Plantalign=center Hannibal, Ohioalign=center Ormetalign=center Closed, August 2014[14]
align=center Columbia Falls Plantalign=center Columbia Falls, Montanaalign=center Glencorealign=center Closed in March 2015[15]
align=center St. Lawrence Plantalign=center Massena, New Yorkalign=center Alcoaalign=center Closed
align=center Wenatchee Plantalign=center Wenatchee, Washingtonalign=center Alcoaalign=center Closed
align=center Rockdale Plantalign=center Rockdale, Texasalign=center Alcoaalign=center Closed

Secondary production

Secondary production is the recycling of metallic aluminum derived from scrap. Secondary production can be from either new scrap (from aluminum manufacturing), or from old scrap (post-consumer scrap such as recycled aluminum cans).

By 2021, secondary production accounted for 78% of US aluminum production.[16]

Raw materials

See main article: Bauxite mining in the United States.

The principal raw materials for aluminum production are bauxite (for primary production) and scrap (for secondary production).

Primary aluminum production consumes a great deal of electricity, which makes up about a third of the cost. Making a ton of primary aluminum consumes at least 12,500 kW-hr, and most plants consume 14,500 to 15,000 kW-hr per ton of primary aluminum.[17]

Secondary production of a given unit of aluminum requires about 10% of the electricity of primary production.

The United States mined production of bauxite for primary aluminum production is insignificant. In 2013, the US mined only 1.3 percent of the bauxite it used, US mined production being less than 0.1 percent of world production.

International trade

The US imported nearly all the bauxite (the only commercial aluminum ore) used in producing primary aluminum. For years, the US has produced less than 1% of the bauxite used to make aluminum.

The US also imported 33 percent of the aluminum that was used in 2014. Of the imported aluminum, 63% came from Canada.[1] [18]

No. !!rowspan="2"
Country !QuantityValue
metric tons % k$%
1 2,820,000 55.5 6,130,000 50.2
2 395,000 7.8 1,120,000 9.2
3 297,000 5.8 683,000 5.6
4 294,000 5.8 665,000 5.5
5 162,000 3.2 383,000 3.1
6 109,000 2.1 269,000 2.2
7 85,900 1.7 187,000 1.5
8 78,200 1.5 324,000 2.7
9 68,900 1.4 128,000 1.0
10 57,300 1.1 179,000 1.5
11 38,400 0.8 109,000 0.9
12 27,800 0.5 122,000 1.0
13 27,000 0.5 56,900 0.5
14 21,500 0.4 155,000 1.3
15 19,800 0.4 47,700 0.4
16 19,300 0.4 70,400 0.6
17 17,100 0.3 59,300 0.5
18 14,000 0.3 32,100 0.3
19 9,360 0.2 21,400 0.2
20 8,810 0.2 43,800 0.4
21 5,010 0.1 7,070 0.1
22 4,980 0.1 21,900 0.2
Other 496,000 9.8 1,390,000 11.4
Total 5,080,000 100.0 12,200,000 100.0
No. !!rowspan="2"
Country !QuantityValue
metric tons % k$%
1 882,000 29.3 1,570,000 18.6
2 821,000 27.3 2,530,000 29.9
3 657,000 21.8 2,050,000 24.3
4 205,000 6.8 532,000 6.3
5 46,700 1.6 106,000 1.3
6 38,200 1.3 275,000 3.3
7 32,100 1.1 52,400 0.6
8 22,200 0.7 161,000 1.9
9 20,700 0.7 134,000 1.6
10 19,200 0.6 164,000 1.9
11 9,030 0.3 55,400 0.7
12 8,090 0.3 32,900 0.4
13 6,070 0.2 27,800 0.3
14 5,010 0.2 41,200 0.5
15 3,080 0.1 39,800 0.5
16 2,290 0.1 12,200 0.1
17 1,240 0.0 11,200 0.1
18 613 0.0 5,660 0.1
19 359 0.0 1,480 0.0
20 202 0.0 2,010 0.0
21 65 0.0 463 0.0
22 4 0.0 36 0.0
Other 231,000 7.7 641,000 7.6
Total 3,010,000 100.0 8,450,000 100.0

History of US aluminum production

The US used to be a much more important factor in the world primary aluminum market. As recently as 1981, the US produced 30% of the world's primary aluminum, and for many years up through 2000, the US was the world's largest producer of primary aluminum. In 2014, by contrast, the US ranked sixth in primary aluminum production, and provided only 3.5% of world production.

US production of primary aluminum peaked in 1980 at 4.64 million metric tons. Since then, US primary aluminum production has fallen by more than half, but secondary production has increased, making up much of the difference. In the 1950s and 1960s, primary production made up about 80% of the aluminum output. In 2014, primary production made up 32%, while secondary from new scrap made up 36% and secondary from old scrap made up 32% of US aluminum production.[1]

Climate impact and market competitiveness

The development of tools which calculate upfront carbon emissions is expected to bring changes to the relative competitiveness for US-produced aluminum products, and result in states with cleaner electric grids gaining a competitive advantage both for sourcing aluminum construction materials, and for siting of new aluminum industry facilities.[19]

See also

Notes and References

  1. https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2023/mcs2023-aluminum.pdf Aluminum
  2. https://www.alcircle.com/news/us-shift-to-recycled-aluminium-results-in-decline-of-crude-metal-and-alloy-imports-till-aug23-103273 US’ shift to recycled aluminium results in crude metal and alloy imports decline till Aug’23
  3. Web site: March 29, 2024 . Column: US looks to reboot aluminum sector with a new smelter . 2024-04-28 . MINING.COM . en-US.
  4. Web site: Boldman . Lane . 2024-02-07 . One of America's last aluminum smelters just closed. Let's rescue Kentucky's from that fate. • Kentucky Lantern . 2024-04-28 . Kentucky Lantern . en-US.
  5. Web site: America was the world’s largest producer of primary aluminum until recently. Now companies are warning the 2% U.S. market share puts the energy transition at risk . 2024-04-28 . Fortune Asia . en.
  6. Alcoa. Alcoa Announces Partial Curtailment at Warrick Smelter in Indiana, Alcoa Press Release, July 1, 2022.
  7. Lindquist, Brent. Alcoa reacts to tariffs on foreign aluminum , Lynden Tribune, April 11, 2018.
  8. Wren, David. "Century Aluminum completes acquisition of Mt. Holly facility," Post and Courier, 1 Dec. 2015
  9. Associated Press, "Union workers locked out at aluminum smelter," WBKO, 12 May 2015.
  10. https://www.kfvs12.com/2024/01/24/most-mag7-employees-lose-jobs-after-jan-28-according-letter/ More than 500 Mag7 employees to lose jobs after Sunday
  11. Miller, Sydney. https://aluminiuminsider.com/century-to-idle-hawesville-aluminium-smelter-due-to-spike-in-energy-prices/, aluminiuminsider.com, August 21, 2022
  12. McCarthy, Grace. "Alcoa announces permanent Intalco closure"
  13. Matics, Greg. "Century Aluminum announces permanent closure of Ravenswood smelting plant," Jackson Newspapers, 30 July 2015.
  14. Milam, John, "Shutdown of Ohio aluminum giant Ormet appears final," People's World, 5 August 2014
  15. http://www.dailyinterlake.com/news/local_montana/columbia-falls-aluminum-co-permanently-closed/article_a06557e8-c1bc-11e4-ab8c-d7b2b1bc3deb.html "Columbia Falls Aluminum Co permanently closed,"
  16. Web site: Home . Andy . January 28, 2024 . Column: Another US primary aluminum smelter bites the dust . Reuters.
  17. Stuart Burns, "Power costs in the production of primary aluminum," Metal mIner, 26 Feb. 2009.
  18. Web site: The Challenges Are Real, but the US Aluminum Industry Can Still Thrive . December 3, 2015 . April 22, 2021 . January 27, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220127201437/https://agmetalminer.com/2015/12/03/the-challenges-are-real-but-us-aluminum-industry-can-still-thrive/ . dead .
  19. Web site: Carbon Counting: A Driver for U.S. Sourced Aluminum? (Part 2). Sanders. Helen. 2019-09-06. Insights and Inspirations. en-US. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20190919015140/https://www.usglassmag.com/insights/2019/09/carbon-counting-a-driver-for-u-s-sourced-aluminum-part-2/ . September 19, 2019 . 2019-12-08.

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