Top 10 Aluminium Producing Countries In the World 

Aluminum is a shiny silver colour metal. Aluminum is one of the Earth’s most abundant metals. Aluminium is the third most abundant element after oxygen and silicon in the world, making up about 8% of the weight of the Earth’s crust. Aluminum does not exist in a pure state in nature. In nature, aluminum is found in an ore called bauxite. The production of primary aluminum metal begins with bauxite ore. Bauxite is processed to create alumina, which is then refined to create aluminum. It takes approximately 4 to 5 tonnes of bauxite ore to produce 2 tonnes of alumina. While it takes approximately 2 tonnes of alumina to produce 1 tonne of aluminum. It is also the second most malleable metal and the sixth most ductile. It is non-magnetic and non-sparking.

Global primary aluminum production reached 64.3 million metric tons in 2018. China is the world’s largest aluminum producer followed by the GCC region, East & Central Europe, North America, West Europe and Oceania. In 2020, China had a total smelter production of some 37 million metric tons of aluminum. Aluminum is one of the most in-demand industrial metals because it is extremely versatile. Aluminum has many applications in industries such as transportation, packaging, construction and electrical transmission.

It also has high thermal conductivity, is corrosion resistant and can be easily machined and formed. It is frequently used in electricity transmission lines. In the transportation industry, the most familiar use of aluminum is in sheets, tubes, and casting. Automobiles, trains, and aircraft all use aluminum in their bodies. The construction industry also depends heavily on aluminum since doors, windows and roofing can all use this metal. The silvery metal is non-toxic and lightweight, perfect for making food and beverage cans.

10. Iceland :-

There are currently 3 operating aluminium smelters in Iceland with a total capacity of over 850,000 metric tons per year. Aluminium smelting is the most important power-intensive industry in Iceland. The Alcoa Fjarðaál plant in Reyðarfjörður, East Iceland produces around 350,000 tonnes annually. Rio Tinto Alcan plant in Straumsvík just south of Reykjavík produces around 185,000 tonne annually. Norðurál-owned plant in Hvalfjörður produces 260,000 tonnes annually. Alcoa has planed to build a new aluminium plant in Húsavík in North Iceland, with capacity around 346,000 tonnes.

Aluminium has just surpassed fish products as Iceland's most valuable export product. The total export value amounted to ISK 227 billion. The aluminium industry bought products and services for ISK 25 billion last year from over 700 domestic companies. Domestic spending in Iceland was roughly $0,6 billion.

9. United States of America :-

Primary production of aluminium in the United States reached some one million metric tons. The United States accounted for 1.5% of the world’s primary aluminium production. U.S. secondary aluminium production was 3.2 million metric tons over three times U.S. primary aluminium production. U.S. aluminium manufacturing employed an annual average of 60,585 workers, which includes facilities that make rolled or extruded products from primary or secondary aluminium. All of the domestic alumina refineries are located near the Gulf Coast. Smelter capacity is located roughly one-third in the Pacific Northwest, one-third in the Ohio Valley, and the rest in the Carolinas, New York, and Texas.

Alcoa, Reynolds and Kaiser have 90 per cent of the country's refinery capacity. They, along with Alumax, own about 60 per cent of domestic smelter capacity.
Three companies including Alcoa, Century Aluminum, and Magnitude 7 Metals—operated six primary aluminium smelters in the United States. The remainder of the primary aluminium industry is comprised of seven domestic firms Ormet, Southwire, Columbia Aluminum, Columbia Falls, Vanalco, Ravenswood, and Northwest Aluminum and two Canadian firms Alcan and Noranda.

Reynolds operates a refinery in Texas and smelters in Washington, New York, and Oregon. The three domestic smelters account for 11 per cent of U.S. capacity. Alcoa's domestic facilities include refineries in Texas and Arkansas, and smelters in Texas, Indiana, Washington, Tennessee, New York, and North Carolina. The six smelters account for about 31 per cent of total U.S. capacity. Amax is the third largest U.S. aluminium producer. It operates three smelters, located in Washington, South Carolina, and Maryland. The company accounts for 11 per cent of U.S. smelter capacity.

8. Norway :-

Norwegian companies are major producers of aluminium and ferroalloys on a global basis. Aluminium production makes up the largest part of the Norwegian metals industry. Norway produces the largest amount of primary aluminium in western Europe, and 80-90 per cent of its output is exported. 
Primary aluminium is produced at seven places around the country, with Norsk Hydro as the largest company in this sector. In Sunndal, Hydro operates the largest primary aluminium plant in Europe. At the Vigeland plant, Hydro produces highly refined aluminium with 99.99% purity. Hydro also has an extrusion plant at Magnor. Many of the companies, such as the aluminium plants at Årdal and Sunndal, were established along with the hydroelectric power stations. The Årdal and Høyanger plants produce primary aluminium. The Karmøy plant produces primary aluminium and wire rod. 

7. Bahrain :-

Bahrain produces more than 1.5m metric tonnes of aluminium, contributing 2% of global aluminium output. The Alba the Bahraini is an aluminium manufacturer and the first primary smelter in the GCC. Alba currently sells around 35%-40% of its products domestically in Bahrain, 20% to the EU, 15% to the Americas, 14% to Asia and 17% to the GCC. Customers can also be found in Morocco, Egypt and Jordan among others. Another key market for expansion is the US.

6. Australia :-

An estimated 1.6 million tonnes of Aluminium were produced in Australia. Australia is the world's largest bauxite producer. Australia is also a world leader in the production of alumina and aluminium. The aluminium industry is also a major export industry for Australia, with 1.43 Mt export. Australia is one of the few countries in the world that has all three key elements of the aluminium industry: bauxite mining, alumina refining, and aluminium smelter operations. The three Western Australian refineries supply 45% of Australia’s alumina and 11% of the global total, making them the largest single source of alumina in the world.

In Australia, bauxite is mined from established open-cut operations at Weipa in Queensland, Gove in the Northern Territory and the Darling Range in Western Australia. Australia's alumina refineries are located at Kwinana, Wagerup, Pinjarra and Worsely in Western Australia and QAL and Yarwun in Queensland. While its aluminium smelters are located at Bell Bay in Tasmania, Boyne Island in Queensland, Portland in Victoria and Tomago in New South Wales operated by Rio Tinto, Alcoa, CSR and Hydro Aluminium. There are currently four aluminium smelters operating in Australia producing Australian primary aluminium metal.

5. United Arab Emirates :-

The annual production volume of aluminium in the United Arab Emirates was about 2.2 million metric tons. The United Arab Emirates' aluminium industry is characterized by the presence of large companies that are usually highly vertically integrated, such as Dubai Aluminum Company Limited (DUBAL) and Mubadala Development Company.

Bauxite exports from Guinea Alumina Corporation, EGA’s wholly-owned subsidiary in Guinea. EGA’s aluminium is the biggest made-in-the-UAE export after oil and gas, bringing in billions of dollars of export revenue each year contributing to the diversification of the national economy. The company and industry have employed 60,950 people.

4. Canada :-

Canada’s primary aluminium industry is the fourth-largest in the world with an annual production of 3.1 million tons of primary aluminium with the lowest carbon footprint. By using mostly hydroelectricity and the latest generation of technologies, Canadian aluminium producers have the lowest carbon footprint in the world. No bauxite is mined in Canada. Canadian exports of aluminium products were valued at $11.3 billion. The United States is Canada's largest export destination for aluminium products, accounting for 84.1% of total aluminium export trade, followed by the Netherlands (8.0%), Mexico (22.6%), China (0.8%) and South Korea (0.7%). The industry supports more than 8,800 jobs in Canada generating CDN$7.3 billion in exports.

Aluminerie Alouette, with some 1,000 employees, produces 600,000 metric tonnes annually at its plant in Sept-Îles, Quebec, making it the largest plant in the Americas. Rio Tinto owns six primary aluminum plants in Quebec and British Columbia, as well as an alumina plant in Quebec and a coking plant in Alberta. Alcoa operates primary aluminum plants in Baie-Comeau, Deschambault and Bécancour (ABI) smelters. Its establishments and factories are mainly located in Quebec, Ontario and Alberta. The company employs more than 3,000 people. Alcoa, Aluminerie Alouette and Rio Tinto operate 9 plants in Canada, out of them 8 plants are in Quebec and one is located in Kitimat, British Columbia. These eight aluminum smelters in Quebec produce 2.9 million tonnes of primary aluminum, representing 60% of North American capacity.

3. Russia :-

Production of primary aluminum in Russia amounted to 3.86 million metric tons. Russia accounts for roughly 5.5% of primary aluminium production globally. Rusal is one of the leading aluminum companies in Russia. Rusal has a current aluminium production capacity of 3.8mnt. Rusal has begun testing deliveries of aluminium produced using a novel inert anode cell technology to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases to near zero.

2. India :-

Refined aluminum production amounted to approximately 3.55 million metric tons in India. The country was the second-largest producer of refined aluminium in Asia. It has a share of nearly 5.3% of the global aluminium output. Aluminium is a strategic metal that propels India's GDP. It employed more than 8 lakh people directly and indirectly and developed over 4000 SMEs in the downstream sector. The nation has a huge reservoir of Bauxite with a Bauxite reserve. It has nearly 10% of the world’s bauxite reserves and a growing aluminium sector that leverages this. Orissa is the largest bauxite-producing state accounting for more than half of the total production of India. The main bauxite belt is in Kalahandi and Koraput districts and extends further into Andhra Pradesh. There are 8 aluminium smelting plants in the country located in Odisha operated by Nalco and Balco, West Bengal, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.

Four major primary producers, National Aluminium Co. Ltd, Hindalco Industries Ltd, Bharat Aluminium Co. Ltd and Vedanta Aluminium Ltd (VAL) are at the forefront of aluminium production. HINDALCO is the largest organization in the Indian aluminium industry holding approximately 40% of the market share. The firm manufacturers several aluminium products like primary aluminium, extruded aluminium, aluminium rolled products, alloy wheels, and foil products. NALCO is yet another leading producer of aluminium metal in India. Jindal Aluminium is another leading manufacturer of aluminium extruded profiles in India. It has 100000 tonnes per annum installed capacity and 10 aluminium extrusion presses. JAL commands approximately 30% market share in India. India also exports aluminium products such as scrap, powder and flakes, bar rods, foil, pellets, sheets, tubes and pipes.

1. China :-

China's alumina output reached 75.2 million in 2021. Xinjiang is a major smelting hub in China, accounting for almost one-fifth of the supply in the world's biggest producer and consumer of aluminium. In China, the total proven bauxite resource is 3.753 billion tons. The Chinese bauxite is widely distributed in 20 provinces in the middle of China but mainly concentrated in Shanxi, Henan, Guizhou and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, with about 90% of the total bauxite reserve in China.