The traditional question, “Is demand going up or down?” is no longer relevant for the downstream aluminium industry. The better questions for 2026 are where demand stays steady, where it weakens, and which products show resilience even though the economy is not looking up.
Downstream is where aluminium turns into real revenue with extrusion orders, FRP deliveries, casting programmes, long-term OEM supply lines and so on. In 2026 and beyond, the demand will become even more uneven and selective, thereby creating clear pockets of strength and stress.
In 2024, downstream aluminium demand was led by extrusions (34%), followed by flat-rolled products including foil (32%), castings (23%), and wires & cables (8%).
That mix tells us something important. Downstream is not a single market. It is several markets running at the same time; each driven by different industries, different buyers, and different economic realities.
The Aluminium Outlook 2026 signals that 2025 has seen a marginal rise from 2024, and 2026 remains positive overall but with visible weakness in some regions, including North America and major European economies.