NBS: China's primary aluminum production rises 2.2% YoY during Jan-Sept

In September alone, primary aluminum output nationwide reached 3.8 million tonnes, rising by 1.8% from the same month in 2024, the NBS data showed. This was 0.3% higher than August, Mysteel Global calculated based on the NBS statistics.

Improved profitability encouraged many domestic primary smelters to maintain steady production last month, contributing to the modest rise in output, market watchers said. According to Mysteel's monthly survey, the average profit margin among the 89 smelters under its regular tracking rose by 6.6% on month to Yuan 4,849/t in September.

The higher profits mainly stemmed from firm aluminum prices and lower production costs. For example, in September Mysteel assessed the national price for primary aluminum ingots with over 99.7% purity at an average of Yuan 20,767/t including 13% VAT, up by Yuan 104/t from August.

Meanwhile, the weighted average full production cost for China's primary aluminum industry decreased by 1.2% on month to Yuan 15,918/t last month, Mysteel's survey found. The cost reduction was largely attributed to lower electricity charges, as the wet season in Southwest China led rates for hydroelectricity there to fall.

Further cost relief came from softening alumina prices, the key raw material in aluminum smelting. During last month, the weighted average national price of smelter-grade alumina with purity exceeding 98.6% dropped by 5.2% from August to Yuan 3,072/t.

In addition, the NBS statistics showed that during the first nine months of 2025, China's total output of ten major non-ferrous metals – including aluminum, copper, zinc, and lead – increased by 3% on year to 61.3 million tonnes. In September, production of these metals reached nearly 7 million tonnes, marking a 2.9% on-year rise.

Written by Iris Pang, pangjunyu@mysteel.com