Japan’s Al imports rebound in October

: Metals
24/11/29

Japanese aluminium imports hit a peak for the year in October as buyers began restocking after a few months of inactivity.

Imports of primary aluminium in October increased by 41.8pc from September and 20pc from the previous year, totalling 103,989t. This brought the total imports from January to October to 870,942t, marking a 0.6pc decrease compared with the same period last year, data from the Japanese finance ministry shows.
India surpassed other major suppliers in October to become the largest supplier for the first time. Japanese buyers maintained low price expectations, pushing many suppliers to redirect their allocation to other markets owing to tight supply.
Production of domestic aluminium goods in October decreased by 1.1pc year on year to 149,884t, according to the Japan Aluminium Association. Domestic shipments of aluminium products increased slightly by 1.1pc year on year to 151,077t, marking the first rise in three months.
The car production and construction sectors remained quiet. Japan's domestic automobile production in October was largely stable year on year, but the number of new housing projects decreased by 0.6pc to 68,548 units in September, according to the latest industrial data.
Japan's imports of secondary aluminium alloy ingots (ADC12) also hit a one-year high in October, increasing by 37.2pc year on year and reaching 110,680t, data from the finance ministry show.

Japan's aluminium imports						t
	Oct-24	Sep-24	± %	Jan-Oct 2024	Jan-Oct 2023	± %

India	22,897	1,466	1,461.6	93,753	68,942	36.0
Australia	22,830	21,997	3.8	235,745	245,798	-4.1
Brazil	14,895	11,302	31.8	142,514	137,261	3.8
UAE	10,481	5,973	75.5	93,544	76,189	22.8
New Zealand	7,983	8,497	-6.0	88,547	93,991	-5.8
South Africa	5,756	7,984	-27.9	63,314	56,827	11.4
Saudi Arabia	3,543	3,257	8.8	30,726	31,612	-2.8
Malaysia	3,199	5,807	-44.9	34,438	38,443	-10.4
Bahrain	2,207	878	151.3	15,645	30,463	-48.6
Russia	503	139	260.9	22,343	70,591	-68.3
Others	9,695	6,027	60.8	50,374	25,852	94.9
Total	103,989	73,327	41.8	870,942	875,969	-0.6
Source: Ministry of Finance

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24/11/29

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Tharisa’s profits up on higher chrome production

24/11/28

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Ambatovy to complete debt restructuring by Dec

24/11/28

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Hastings signs Saudi metals refinery agreement

24/11/28

Hastings signs Saudi metals refinery agreement

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US import tariffs would lift steel, scrap costs

24/11/27

US import tariffs would lift steel, scrap costs

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