The six largest alumina producers in the world are Aluminum Corporation of China, South32 Limited, Hangzhou Jinjiang Group, Rio Tinto, Norsk Hydro ASA and Alcoa.
About the product: Alumina is an oxide that is extracted from bauxite and is the basic raw material used to produce primary aluminum.
Also this product can be consumed for non-metallurgical purposes, such as industrial chemicals.
In particular, Alcoa is the world’s largest alumina producer outside of China.
The alumina market is global and highly competitive, with many active raw material suppliers, producers and traders.
Alcoa’s main competitors in the third party alumina market are: Aluminum Corporation of China, South32 Limited, Hangzhou Jinjiang Group, Rio Tinto and Norsk Hydro ASA.
In recent years, there has been significant growth in alumina refining in China and India.
Alumina producers
Key factors influencing competition in the alumina market include cost position, price, reliability of bauxite supply, quality, and proximity to end customers and markets.
Alcoa’s refineries are strategically located adjacent to low-cost bauxite mines, providing a stable and consistent long-term supply of bauxite for its refining portfolio.
Additionally, its alumina refineries include sophisticated refining technology to maximize efficiency with the bauxite qualities from these internal mines.
Alcoa’s Alumina segment consists of the company’s worldwide refining system, which processes bauxite into alumina.
Alcoa’s alumina sales are made to customers around the world and are generally priced at published spot market prices.
The company’s largest customer for smelter grade alumina is its own aluminum smelters, which in 2021 accounted for approximately 33% of its total alumina shipments.
A small portion of the alumina is sold to third parties who transform it into industrial chemicals.
This segment also includes AWAC’s 25.1% stake in MBAC.
Bauxite is a reddish clay rock that is mined from the surface of the earth’s terrain. This ore is the basic raw material used to produce alumina and is the primary source of aluminum.
