CRU aluminum news roundup

On Sept. 27 , Commerce announced its final determinations that producers in 14 countries – China, Colombia, Ecuador, India, Indonesia, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and Vietnam – had been selling dumped and subsidized aluminum extrusions into the US in violation of international trade rules. Commerce calculated antidumping duties at rates ranging from 2.02% up to 376.85% and countervailing duties at rates ranging from 1.44% up to 168.81%, to create a level playing field for domestic producers.

A statement was released by the US Aluminum Extruders Coalition (USAEC) and the United Steelworkers (USW) union about the negative decision. It stated: “The US Aluminum Extruders Coalition (USAEC) and the USW are surprised and disappointed by the split negative vote by the Commission and the surprising recusal of one of the Commissioners. The domestic industry has been and continues to be injured by unfairly traded imports and will evaluate all possible means at its disposal to address this injury.”

The USAEC – a coalition of 14 leading aluminum extruders in the US – and the USW, the largest industrial union in the US, first filed these trade cases on Oct. 4, 2023.

US producers react to Biden’s administration final rules on 45X

Alcoa issued a statement on Friday that it welcomed the US Treasury Department’s final regulations on the Section 45X Advanced Manufacturing Production Credit, enacted as part of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).

Alcoa said Section 45X is an important tool for shoring up domestic manufacturing of critical materials, including commercial-grade aluminum from Alcoa’s US-based smelters. Alcoa also said it was pleased that the Treasury Department included some direct and indirect material costs.

The statement follows a similar one issued by Century Aluminum, also last week. Century’s CEO Jesse Gary declared: “We are pleased the final rules include certain raw materials as part of our production costs in calculating the tax credit that we, along with many other stakeholders, requested. This reinforces the administration’s steadfast support of domestic manufacturing.”

Both companies said they would continue to evaluate the regulations in detail to determine all its impacts on their US operations.

ITC approves tariffs on aluminum printing plates

On Oct. 22, the US ITC determined that its industry was materially injured by imports of aluminum lithographic printing plates from China and Japan. In particular, the ITC said those products were sold at less-than-fair value and subsidized by the government of China.

As a result, the US Department of Commerce will soon issue a countervailing duty order on imports of such products from China and antidumping orders on imports from China and Japan. Chair Amy Karpel and Commissioners Rhonda K. Schmidtlein and Jason E. Kearns supported the proposition, while Commissioner David S. Johanson opposed it.

University of Michigan makes potential breakthrough with new aluminum alloy

Researchers at the University of Michigan in the US have recently developed a new aluminum alloy that could have the ability to reshape automotive manufacturing for electric vehicles (EVs) and fuel-efficient vehicles.

By adding minuscule titanium carbide particles directly into molten aluminum, the researchers have created a metal matrix nanocomposite that addresses the longstanding challenge of resistance under high temperatures. The new material will be stronger and more heat-resistant, making it a viable alternative to heavier steel.

For years, engineers have aimed to replace steel in automotive structures with aluminum alloys due to their lightweight properties, which could boost fuel efficiency and extend the range of electric vehicles. However, the alloys’ inability to endure high temperatures has limited their widespread use. Still, these recent findings could represent a critical step toward the mass production of stronger, more durable aluminum alloys for the automotive industry.

Co-authors of the study Alan Taub and Robert H. Lurie stated: “We have known for a long time that nano-sized particles could improve the performance of metal matrix composites, but the materials could not be produced at scale. We now understand the formation mechanisms that will enable our industry partners to optimize the process for light-weighting applications.”

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