Japan Secondary Al Output Drops 30.3% in May

Japanese secondary aluminium ingot and aluminium alloy ingot output decreased by 30.3% to 45,363 tonnes in May from a year earlier, according to Japan Aluminium Alloy Refiners Association. The shipment decreased by 28.5% to 46,161 tonnes. The output and the shipment decreased for 3 months in a row due to lower operation rate of automakers.

The secondary aluminium and aluminium alloy ingot shipment decreased for all applications for 2 months in a row through May from a year earlier. The shipment for casting, die casting and flat product was lower than the slow shipment in May 2009 after the Lehman Shock.

The shipment for extrusion and steel additive increased in May from April while the shipment decreased from a year earlier. The shipment for steel additive was firm due to demand for deoxidizing agent for steelmaking. One aluminium scrap dealer source said the scrap shipment and market price were firm for only used beverage can for deoxidizing agent makers.