This statistic represents the largest producing companies of primary aluminum worldwide in 2014. In terms of production output, state-backed Aluminum Corporation of China Limited (Chalco) was the largest aluminum company that year.
The world’s largest aluminum companies
Although aluminum is one of the world’s most widely used non-ferrous metals, the global aluminum supply is projected to outstrip demand by a wide margin in 2013. While worldwide consumption levels stood at around 45 million metric tons in 2012, global primary production of aluminum amounted to just under 48 million metric tons in the same year. In addition to this, the growing volume of recycled aluminum is expected to further exacerbate the imbalance of supply and demand in the aluminum industry. In light of a rising supply surplus, aluminum prices are projected to plunge by almost 40 percent in 2013 over 2008. As a result, aluminum producers are predicted to increase their levels of idle production capacities. Chalco, Rusal, Alcoa and Rio Tinto are ranked among the largest aluminum producers globally.
The main aluminum markets include China, the European Union, the United States, Japan and India. Aluminum demand in China grew at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of about 15 percent from 2011 to 2012. However, China’s double digit aluminum demand growth rates are expected to cool down and reach a tepid four percent in 2013. Globally, the main end-users of the base metal include the following sectors: transportation, construction, electrical engineering, machinery manufacturing and packaging.