IAI: Global alumina output exceeds 12.8 million tonnes in Sept

On a daily average basis, worldwide alumina production reached 429,500 tonnes last month, marking a marginal 0.05% drop from the previous month, Mysteel Global's calculation based on the IAI data showed. The modest on-month dip was largely due to September having one day less than August.

By grade, production of metallurgical-grade alumina accounted for 12.14 million tonnes or 94.2% of total production, while chemical-grade contributed 746,000 tonnes, the data showed.

China remained the world's top alumina producer for the ninth consecutive month, with an estimated 7.95 million tonnes of output, equivalent to 61.7% of the global total. The volume reflected a 10.4% on-year increase but a 1% on-month decline.

The IAI's estimate for China closely aligned with data from the country's National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), which showed that September alumina production amounted to 8 million tonnes, up by 0.9% from the previous month and by 8.7% from a year earlier. The NBS figure was 49,000 tonnes higher than the IAI's estimate, Mysteel Global noted.

Outside China, Oceania ranked as the world's second-largest alumina-producing region, with its output rising by 5.2% on year to 1.42 million tonnes last month, according to the IAI data. Africa and Asia (excluding China) followed with a combined 1.2 million tonnes, representing an 8.3% increase from the same period last year.

During the first nine months of 2025, global alumina output reached 114 million tonnes, marking a 4.8% rise from the January-September period of 2024.

 E: Estimated

 Source: IAI

Written by Iris Pang, pangjunyu@mysteel.com

Edited by Russ McCulloch, russ.mcculloch@mysteel.com