The United States shares a deep and personal bond with aluminium as the metal has played a pivotal role in shaping up the nation’s manufacturing base while contributing about USD 228.31 billion to the economy. But at the same time, the industry in the US has weather many highs and lows.
The journey of aluminium industry in the United States back to World War I (1914-1918) when production was 52,210 tonnes, accounting for more than half of world’s supply. By World War II (1939-1945), the production further grew to 835,000 tonnes. This momentum carried well into the late 20th century, culminating in a peak of 4.65 million tonnes in 1980.
Cut to the late 1990s, aluminium production trend in the US reversed and began to decline, coming in at 3.7 million tonnes between 1998 and 2000. As a consequence, its global share fell to 16 per cent. As the downward trend persisted into the 21st century, the production plummeted to 670,000 tonnes in 2024, representing a mere 0.9 per cent of global output.
So, what happened to the nation which once stood as the world’s power house of primary aluminium production?
The unraveling of an industry
In 1995, the US housed 23 primary aluminium smelters across 14 states. By 2020, 15 facilities shut down and 2 became idle, affecting 45,000 jobs. In 2021, output fell 28 per cent in a single year, pushing the US to ninth position among global primary producers.