Use of Aluminum

The products from an aluminum plant are sold to other industrial businesses for further processing into different end-products that may then be used directly by consumers.

The most common and simple product type from an aluminum plant is called an ‘ingot'. It is a block of aluminum in an international standard size and metal quality which the buyers in their own factories can melt into the products they wish. 

Ingot stack of aluminum to be used in producing different kind of aluminum product (Photo: Alcoa)

Some aluminum plants are able to mould bars, cable-goods and other more specialized products that are then processed in other factories. Along with their regular production, some plants are simultaneously capable of producing particularly pure aluminum or aluminum with a mix of certain other compounds that are used in the production of so-called alloys that have particular properties.

Different kind of products made of aluminium (Photo: Fotolia)

Aluminum has a wide range of applications. These are often divided into the following main areas:

• Transport - In an airplane the fuselage is made of 80% aluminum. In transportation by ship and over land the importance of aluminum is increasing because it is a lighter alternative to steel and thereby reduces weight.
• Packaging and goods for the consumer market - Beer cans, foil, pots and pans, computers, curtain rails - in short: all the stand-alone objects in our everyday lives that contain aluminum.
• Building materials - Door and window frames, wall and roof constructions, high-voltage wires and as a lighter and maintenance-free alternative to steel sections.

The businesses in downstream industry are typically located close to their sales markets. In this way countries like Canada, China and South Africa have a considerable downstream industry, while aluminum production in countries like Iceland, Iran and Mozambique is for direct export.

Some countries that wish to develop their aluminum industry rely heavily on attracting downstream industry. Abu Dhabi in the Arab Emirates has a clear strategy in this area. They established their first aluminum plant in 2010 (capacity of 700,000 metric tons/year). In addition to joint public ownership of the aluminum plant, the country has invested heavily in airplane and automotive technology businesses, as well as competence development within green technology to be able to attract industrial activities to the country within these fields in the long term.

The world's consumption of aluminum is closely related to economic growth. With the strong growth in developing countries such as Brazil, Russia, India and China (the so-called BRIC countries), it is estimated that aluminum consumption will increase steadily during the years ahead, and there will therefore also be a need for the establishment of new aluminum plants in the future.