China aluminium output hits record high in August with capacity cap in sight
China's aluminium production hit a record high in August, data showed on Tuesday, as strong margins encouraged smelters to maximise output despite a longstanding national capacity cap.
Production rose 4.7% from a year earlier to 3.98-million tons, data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed.
Output in the world's top aluminium producer increased from just below 3.9-million tons in July and was close to the previous monthly high of 3.979-million tons recorded in June.
In the first eight months of the year, China produced 31.12-million tons, up 3.9% from the same period last year.
At that pace, output would annualise at about 46.7-million tons, well above the country's 45-million-ton capacity ceiling. China has maintained tight controls on aluminium smelting capacity since 2017.
China produced 45.02-million tons of primary aluminium in 2025, up 2.4% from a year earlier.
Higher output has been supported by strong margins amid higher prices following supply disruptions in the Middle East by the war.
Benchmark three-month aluminium gained nearly 8% so far this year, and was up 1.82% in August.
Production of 10 nonferrous metals, including copper, aluminium, lead, zinc and nickel, rose 1.6% from a year earlier to 7.1-million tons in August. Output of the 10 metals in January-August increased 2.9% to 55.58-million tons.
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