[SMM Analysis]Analysis of Import and Export Data for Unwrought Aluminum Alloy, January-February 2026

[Weekly Operating Rates in the Aluminum Processing Industry: China's Aluminum Processing Sector Sees Modest Growth Amid Peak Season Demand] This week, the weekly operating rate of leading downstream aluminum processing enterprises in China edged up 1 percentage point WoW to 62.9%.

SMM News, March 20: In the morning session, SHFE aluminum 2604 fluctuated downward, with the price center falling sharply from the previous trading day. Affected by the decline in aluminum prices, overall purchasing sentiment rose today, prompting sellers to hold prices firm. Mainstream transaction prices in the market today were concentrated around the average price of the SHFE aluminum 04 contract to +20 yuan/mt. Today, the east China market shipments sentiment index was 3.2, up 0.06 MoM; the purchasing sentiment index was 3.23, up 0.07 MoM. Today, SHFE aluminum futures prices plunged sharply. Coupled with downstream processing enterprises' procurement and stockpiling demand ahead of the weekend market closure, overall buying sentiment in the central China market was high, with strong bullish sentiment. Suppliers showed a strong willingness to hold prices firm, and there was no downward trend in market quotations. However, the pass-through of prices to downstream enterprises resulted in relatively limited premiums. Ultimately, the overall quotation range in the central China market was concentrated at central China prices plus 10 yuan to plus 60 yuan, while actual mainstream transaction prices were concentrated at central China prices plus 30 yuan to plus 40 yuan. Today, the central China market shipments sentiment index was 2.61, up 0.03 MoM; the purchasing sentiment index was 2.51, up 0.08 MoM. Inventory side, aluminum ingot inventory in mainstream consumption regions fell by 3,000 mt MoM today, with destocking mainly coming from Wuxi and Gongyi. In the short term, after the Chinese New Year, aluminum ingot inventory has continued its seasonal buildup. Affected by bullish market sentiment, premiums are expected to maintain a narrowing trend.

SMM News, March 20: Aluminum ingot: On March 20, SMM A00 aluminum (Foshan) was reported at 24,060, down 430, with a discount of 180 against the current-month contract, narrowing by 5 (unit: yuan/mt). After opening sharply lower in the night session, the SHFE aluminum 04 contract gradually rebounded. Affected by aluminum prices remaining in the doldrums, the South China spot market was relatively firm, and buyers’ overall procurement sentiment was moderate today. Sellers habitually held prices firm, but as Friday coincided with a faster pace of shipments, overall support for firm prices was relatively limited. Today, mainstream transaction prices in the market were concentrated at premiums of -200 yuan/mt to -170 yuan/mt against the SHFE aluminum 04 contract.

According to the latest release from the General Administration of Customs, SMM statistics showed that China’s SiMn exports were 2,539.52 mt in January 2026, down 50.55% MoM and down 31.84% YoY. China’s SiMn imports were 0 mt in January 2026, down 100% MoM and down 100% YoY. By import and export regional structure, SiMn exports were mainly destined for Indonesia.

From January to February 2026, China's air conditioner production reached 40.118 million units, up 0.7% YoY. From January to February, national refrigerator production reached 16.643 million units, up 6.5% YoY. From January to February, national washing machine production reached 18.579 million units, down 0.8% YoY. From January to February, national color TV production reached 24.678 million units, up 2.3% YoY. In February 2026, China exported 6.84 million air conditioners, up 1.2% YoY; cumulative exports from January to February totaled 13.15 million units, down 6.5% YoY. Refrigerator exports reached 6.93 million units in February, up 26.6% YoY; cumulative exports from January to February totaled 14.91 million units, up 18.6% YoY. Washing machine exports reached 2.7 million units in February, up 18.1% YoY; cumulative exports from January to February totaled 6.1 million units, up 11.8% YoY. LCD TV exports reached 8.53 million units in February, up 34.4% YoY; cumulative exports from January to February totaled 17.69 million units, up 17.2% YoY.

[Consumption Expectations Were Gradually Realized, Operating Rates of Galvanising Producers Continued to Increase]: This week, the operating rate of the galvanizing industry was 59.7, up 6.69 percentage points WoW. Raw material side, zinc prices pulled back sharply this week, galvanising enterprises actively fixed prices to stockpile, and zinc ingot inventory at galvanising enterprises increased significantly.

[SMM Chrome Weekly Review: Steel Tender Prices Rose, and the Market Remained Temporarily Stable] March 20, 2026 News: Quotes for chrome ore and ferrochrome were unchanged for the time being...

Capacity side, according to incomplete statistics, China’s alkaline electrolyzer market remained at 43.77 GW, and the PEM electrolyzer market remained at 2.7 GW, with no new capacity added. No offline delivery information was available this week. Project-related updates: Guohua (Ningxia) New Energy Co., Ltd.: A price inquiry procurement was issued for the pre-feasibility study report preparation service for the Guohua Ningxia 100,000-mt Green Hydrogen Energy Supply Base Project (chemical section). It was understood that the Ningdong water electrolysis hydrogen production project of Guohua Ningxia had already put into operation a scale of 20,000 Nm³/h, with 6,000 Nm³/h under construction. Datang Inner Mongolia Duolun Coal Chemical Co., Ltd.: An inquiry-based procurement was launched for the feasibility study and green methanol certification consulting technical services for the CNCEC Duolun Coal Chemical coal-based process biomass co-firing coupled with green electricity green methanol production project. It was understood that the Datang Duolun 150,000-kW wind and solar power hydrogen production integrated demonstration project was China’s first medium-to-large-scale technology demonstration project for off-grid wind and solar power hydrogen production deeply coupled with coal chemical engineering. It was invested in and constructed by Datang Duolun Ruiyuan New Energy Co., Ltd., with a total investment of approximately 1.3 billion yuan. Construction officially began in November 2023, hydrogen was successfully produced on December 29, 2024, and it was formally connected to grid and put into operation on January 17, 2025. Shaanxi Construction Installation Group Co., Ltd.: The Guyang-Baiyun Obo gas transmission pipeline project, undertaken by Shaanxi Construction Installation Group, reached a major milestone, with its Guyang initial station and valve chamber having successfully passed completion acceptance. It was reported that the gas transmission pipeline project has a 20% hydrogen blending transmission capacity and is a key planned construction project under the “county-to-county coverage in western Inner Mongolia” initiative in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region’s 14th Five-Year Plan for oil and gas development. The pipeline has a total length of 125 km, starting from the Guyang initial station and generally running from south to north, successively passing through Guyang County, Darhan Muminggan Banner, and the Baiyun Obo mining district in Baotou City, and ultimately reaching Barun Industrial Park. Jiamusi Hanya New Energy Co., Ltd.: The Jiamusi Hanya wind power hydrogen production synthetic green methanol integrated project was filed. The project is located in Heilongjiang Province, with a total investment of 4 billion yuan. Construction scale and contents: mainly the construction of a 300,000-mt green methanol production unit and a thermal energy storage unit, with a planned land area of approximately 350,000 m². Windey Energy Technology Group Co., Ltd.: The list of winning candidates was announced for the biomass gasification process package and technical services project for the first-phase Handan Biomass Green Methanol Project. The top-ranked winning candidate was East China Engineering Science and Technology Co., Ltd. It was understood that East China Engineering has extensive experience in the gasification field, with experience in the design, construction, EPC general contracting, commissioning, and operation of more than 100 gasifiers, covering various mainstream processes such as fixed bed, fluidized bed, and entrained-flow bed. Zhongqing Xinneng (Baotou) Equipment Co., Ltd.: The annual production project for 100,000 hydrogen storage cylinders for hydrogen two-wheelers was filed. The project is located in Kundulun District, Baotou City, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. It plans to build a production line with an annual capacity of 100,000 hydrogen storage cylinders for hydrogen two-wheelers, including production workshop renovation and supporting utilities. Annual output value will reach 100 million yuan. The planned construction period is from April 2026 to September 2026. Shenneng North (Otog Banner) Energy Co., Ltd.: The change to the 30 MW-class pure hydrogen gas turbine hydrogen energy storage demonstration project under the Otog Banner integrated wind and solar power hydrogen production and green ammonia synthesis project was filed. After the change, the project site is located in the eastern project area of the Ordos Otog Economic Development Zone, within Shenneng's water electrolysis hydrogen production station in Ordos City, Otog Banner, bounded to the north by the green hydrogen-to-green ammonia project under the Otog Banner integrated wind and solar power hydrogen production and green ammonia synthesis project, to the east by Jingsan Street, to the west by Jinger Street, and to the south by Weisi Road. Construction scale and content: the project covers an area of 500 sq m, of which the hydrogen gas turbine occupies 300 sq m. As a hydrogen energy storage demonstration project, it includes one 30 MW pure hydrogen gas turbine, generator, hydrogen storage equipment, and supporting facilities. Through wind and solar power generation and water electrolysis for hydrogen production, the project has a total hydrogen storage capacity of 360,000 Nm³, an effective hydrogen storage volume of 270,000 Nm³, and is equipped with 12 spherical hydrogen storage tanks, each with a water capacity of 1,875 m³. Jiyuan (Siping) Green Energy Co., Ltd.: The EPC tender for the hydrogen production works of the SPIC Green Energy Lishu wind and solar power hydrogen production, biomass-coupled green methanol project was released. It is understood that the project is located in the chemical park of the Siping New-type Industrialized Economic Development Zone, Lishu County, Siping City, Jilin Province. It adopts a green hydrogen coupled with biomass gasification process to synthesize 197,200 mt/year of methanol, started construction in August 2025, and is expected to be commissioned in September 2027. The project includes three hydrogen production workshops. Workshops No. 1 and No. 2 each are arranged with 12 sets of 1,000 Nm³/h alkaline electrolytic hydrogen production electrolyzers plus three sets of 4,000 Nm³/h hydrogen purification units; Workshop No. 3 is arranged with four sets of 1,000 Nm³/h alkaline electrolytic hydrogen production electrolyzers plus one set of 4,000 Nm³/h gas-liquid separation unit, among others. Sinopec Sales Co., Ltd. Tibet Petroleum Branch : The tender notice for Section I of the general construction contracting project for the Shannan hydrogen-oxygen combined supply project was released. The construction site is in Naidong District, Shannan City, Tibet Autonomous Region; the planned construction period is 180 days; the estimated contract value for the section is 27.23 million yuan (tax included); the hydrogen production portion of the section tender includes an IGBT rectifier and control system skid, hydrogen production skid, oxygen purification unit, pure water machine and chiller unit skid, and related supporting facilities, while the hydrogen refueling portion includes a 35 MPa dual-nozzle hydrogen dispenser, 45 MPa hydrogen compressor skid, 45 MPa hydrogen storage cylinder bank, and sequence control panel. Ming Yang Smart Energy Group Co., Ltd.: It held a signing ceremony at Ming Yang Group headquarters for the hydrogen-fueled gas turbine complete-unit R&D and manufacturing project with the People's Government of Hudai Town, Binhu District, Wuxi City, Jiangsu Province, with both parties formally reaching a strategic cooperation agreement. Sichuan Zhongke Hydrogen Energy Technology Co., Ltd. : First Public Notice of Environmental Impact Assessment Information for Phase II of the Integrated Energy Station Project Featuring Hydropower, Wind and Solar Power, Hydrogen, and Natural Gas Multi-Energy Complementarity. According to the document, Phase II of the integrated energy station project featuring hydropower, wind and solar power, hydrogen, and natural gas multi-energy complementarity is located in Nanchong High-tech Zone, with Sichuan Zhongke Hydrogen Energy Technology Co., Ltd. as the project developer. It will build an integrated hydrogen production and refueling station, along with supporting public utility facilities, to realise the hydrogen refueling function of the integrated energy station for hydrogen-powered vehicles, and will also build one hydrogen energy industry R&D production site. GRINM Engineering Institute Co., Ltd. : The new materials pilot platform in Huairou Science City completed final acceptance upon completion, and four key pilot lines, including solid-state hydrogen storage and ceramic co-firing materials, entered the stage of commissioning and line integration. Among them, the total investment in the solid-state hydrogen storage project is 14.5 million yuan, and the total investment in the ceramic co-firing materials project is 12 million yuan, which will support the commercialisation of new material achievements and the industrialisation of hydrogen energy and key electronic materials. Policy Review​ 1. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Finance, and the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) issued a notice on carrying out pilot work for the comprehensive application of hydrogen energy. The document states that by 2030, hydrogen energy in city clusters is expected to achieve large-scale application across diverse fields, and the average price of hydrogen for end-use is expected to fall below 25 yuan/kg, with efforts to reduce it to around 15 yuan/kg in certain advantaged regions; national fuel cell vehicle ownership is expected to double from the 2025 level, with efforts to reach 100,000 units. Through the expansion of application scale, it will promote innovative breakthroughs in hydrogen energy application technologies, processes, and equipment, realise iterative upgrades of fuel cells, electrolyzers, storage and transportation devices, and materials, and promote hydrogen energy as a new economic growth driver to support a comprehensive green transformation of economic and social development. 2. The People's Government of Hunan Province issued the Hunan Province 2026 Plan for National Economic and Social Development. The document states that efforts will be made to advance the circular economy and cleaner production and build a number of zero-carbon parks and zero-carbon factories. It is expected to accelerate the green and low-carbon transformation of the energy system, optimise the management of new energy project pipelines, and speed up the construction of key wind and solar power projects. It will expand green energy consumption scenarios and implement a three-year doubling plan for the service capacity of charging facilities. It will also actively develop the hydrogen energy industry and expand the scale of natural gas utilisation. 3. With the approval of the National Energy Administration, the Standardization Technical Committee for Hydrogen Energy in the Energy Industry was established in Beijing. The establishment of this committee was intended to improve the industry standards system, lead technological innovation, and regulate market order. Enterprise Developments Haida Qingneng Ship (Dalian) Co., Ltd.: The nation's first inland 64-TEU hydrogen fuel cell-powered container vessel, Dongfang Qinggang, for which it supplied the powertrain, successfully completed its first long-distance trial voyage. The entire system operated stably, the navigation performance was excellent, and the trial voyage was a complete success. Hydrogen Power (Beijing) Technology Services Co., Ltd.: 100 hydrogen-powered refrigerated trucks were officially delivered to Hydrogen Cheng Times and will be operated by Hydrogen Power Technology as the agent. Rongcheng New Energy Group: Successfully delivered 50 hydrogen-powered heavy trucks to Cangzhou Huagang International Logistics Co., Ltd. This batch of vehicles will be put into service on the transport route from Huanghua Port to the Shandong Lubei Aluminum Industry Base. CSSC Engine Co., Ltd.: Its WinGD6X72DF-A-1.0 ammonia-fueled low-speed engine successfully passed functional integration approval and bench testing, and was successfully delivered in Qingdao. It is understood that this was the first ammonia-fueled marine engine in China to be formally delivered as a commercial product. Aerospace Engineering Company: Signed contracts for two major green hydrogen engineering projects in succession, namely the hydrogen refueling station water electrolysis hydrogen production project of Zhongqing Energy Development (Shandong) Co., Ltd., and the electrolytic hydrogen production unit project for the Inner Mongolia Fenglü green hydrogen-coupled coal-to-olefins project. For these two projects, Aerospace Engineering Company will provide a total of 16 sets of HTJSDJ-1000/1.6 alkaline electrolyzers, together with supporting post-processing systems and utility engineering equipment, and will be responsible for engineering design. This cooperation marked Aerospace Engineering Company's simultaneous breakthroughs in the two major fields of green transportation and green hydrogen chemicals. Qinghang Times (Shenzhen) Technology Co., Ltd. : Qinghang Times was established on January 5, 2026, with a registered capital of 1 million yuan and legal representative He Rongjie. Founded by a Tsinghua University master's and doctoral team, it received support from Tsinghua entrepreneurship and innovation platforms including Tsinghua i-Space and Tsinghua Chuang+, and was selected for the Sci-Tech Innovation Light "Future Tech Innovators Program." With a technical solution combining liquid hydrogen storage and a high-temperature PEM hydrogen-electric coupling system, it increases aircraft driving range by more than 10 times and payload capacity by 2-3 times. Recently, it completed seed-round financing of several million yuan, with the investor undisclosed. Shenzhen Hydrogen Zhi Energy Co., Ltd.: Completed A+ round financing, with Shenzhen Energy Investment as the investor. Anhui Mashui New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. : Anhui Mashui Technology completed A-round financing of over 100 million yuan, led by NIO Capital. This round of funding will be used primarily to fulfill large orders, increase R&D reserves, support new factory construction, and cover daily operations, so as to drive the integration and upgrading of the industry chain. China Energy Engineering Corporation Research Institute: The kick-off meeting for the international standard High-Pressure Liquid Hydrogen Pump for Hydrogen Refueling Stations, led and submitted by the Low-Carbon Institute, was held online. Since the standard was approved for project initiation in November last year, this meeting clarified the advancement plan and technical roadmap, bringing together 20 experts from China, the United States, Germany, France, Russia, Japan, and the European Industrial Gases Association, who reached consensus on core issues such as the standard’s scope and application scenarios, thereby laying a solid foundation for the high-quality and timely delivery of the standard. Jiangsu Guofu Hydrogen Energy Equipment Co., Ltd. : A delegation from Thailand’s water, electricity, and related institutions came to China for exchanges on the new energy industry and made a special trip to Zhangjiagang, Jiangsu, to visit the rooftop PV hydrogen production project jointly developed by Zonergy and Guofu Hydrogen Energy. It was understood that the project relied on a distributed PV system installed on factory rooftops and used PV power generation to provide clean and stable electricity for enterprise production and energy applications, balancing efficient energy utilization with green development; at the same time, it integrated hydrogen energy application scenarios and was equipped with an ESS to ensure a stable energy supply for hydrogen production. It is a leading distributed PV hydrogen production demonstration project in China by scale, showcasing China’s advanced achievements in the integrated development of PV and hydrogen energy. Beijing SinoHytec Co., Ltd.: Signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Haitai Solar and the Hebei Hydrogen Energy Society, relying on the National Energy Administration’s first batch of hydrogen energy pilot policies and centering on the Zhangjiakou-Chengde-Tangshan hydrogen energy regional pilot to advance the deep integration of “government, industry, academia, research, and application.” The three parties will focus on the Kangbao-Caofeidian long-distance hydrogen pipeline with annual hydrogen transmission capacity of 1.55 million mt, creating a “hydrogen production in Zhangjiakou and Chengde, application in Tangshan” model. Haitai Solar will provide SinoHytec with a stable hydrogen supply and storage and transportation services, addressing the industry’s high storage and transportation costs and supporting high-quality regional hydrogen energy development and the implementation of the “dual carbon” goals. The Sixth Academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation: Released four new hydrogen energy products in Beijing, including an onboard liquid hydrogen system, liquid hydrogen refueling equipment, a liquid hydrogen tank container, and an alkaline electrolyzer, and also released a blue book on the hydrogen energy industry to help build the hydrogen energy industry ecosystem. Beijing Hydrosys Technology Co., Ltd.: Its self-developed hydraulic-driven hydrogen compressor underwent rigorous assessment and passed EU CE certification. Patent Applications 1. Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (China) disclosed patent CN2025110028 and developed a ceramic-based anion exchange membrane, with a laboratory-tested service life of up to 80,000 hours. 2. Johnson Matthey (UK) filed patent WO2025109876, disclosing an Fe-Ni-Mo ternary non-precious metal catalyst formulation with activity close to that of platinum-based materials. Technology Footprint/Technical Specifications 1. A joint team from Xi’an Jiaotong University and Peking University jointly conducted R&D on a new-type osmium-based catalyst, significantly improving the efficiency and economics of hydrogen production via AEM water electrolysis and supporting the large-scale deployment of low-cost green hydrogen. 2. Johnson Matthey and Syensqo achieved efficient recycling and reuse of platinum group metals and ionomers in PEM fuel cells and electrolyzers, significantly reducing the carbon footprint. 3. Relevant research teams from the School of Electrical Engineering at Xi’an Jiaotong University and the State Key Laboratory of Electrical Materials and Electrical Insulation successfully developed the Ru/Ti3C2Ox@NF bifunctional electrocatalyst for seawater electrolysis. 4. The group standard Technical Specification for Hydrogen Production by Coupled Electrolysis with Wind and Solar Power, PV+ESS, and Green Electricity (No. T/CIEP 0272—2025) was released and implemented by the China Industrial Environmental Protection Promotion Association. Zhongneng Dayou Energy Technology Co., Ltd. successfully developed a 100 kW-class PEM electrolyzer hydrogen production multi-field coupling test device. 5. GKN Powder Metallurgy announced that it has developed a next-generation high performance, high-porosity, high-purity porous transport layer (HP-PTL) for proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolysis.

SMM, March 19: This week, Chinese aluminum fluoride enterprises mainly focused on order deliveries, with aluminum fluoride prices holding steady. As of now, SMM aluminum fluoride prices closed at 10,180-10,450 yuan/mt; cryolite prices also held steady, with SMM cryolite quoted at 7,000-8,500 yuan/mt. Raw material side: Prices of key raw materials for aluminum fluoride continued to rise. Specifically, the delivery-to-factory price of 97% fluorite powder remained stable, currently concentrated in the range of 3,150-3,450 yuan/mt. During the Two Sessions, mining at northern mines was restricted, leading to a temporary tight supply of fluorite raw ore; some beneficiation plants showed strong sentiment to hold prices firm due to relatively low inventory levels, and downstream hydrofluoric acid enterprises slightly recovered in operating demand after resuming work following the holiday. SMM expected fluorite prices to hold up well in the short term. Aluminum hydroxide prices edged up steadily, with the current SMM weighted average price at 1,673 yuan/mt, up 1.52% WoW. The sulphuric acid market remained firm, and prices continued to rise amid higher costs, tightening supply, and strong demand. Overall, the raw material side of aluminum fluoride moved higher, and production pressure on enterprises increased significantly. Supply side showed a pattern of rigid cost increases, deeply pressured profitability, and weak willingness to operate. Recently, prices of key raw materials such as fluorite, sulphuric acid, and aluminum hydroxide continued to rise, significantly pushing up aluminum fluoride production costs. The industry was caught in a squeeze from both costs and selling prices, with enterprises generally operating at a loss. Production enthusiasm was hit hard, overall industry operating rates remained in the doldrums, and actual supply increases were limited. On the demand side, operating aluminum capacity downstream remained stable, forming a rigid demand base for aluminum fluoride; however, enterprises mainly restocked for rigid demand and purchased as needed, with cautious procurement and insufficient demand elasticity to boost prices. Brief comment: This week, prices of key raw materials such as fluorite and sulphuric acid held up well, and the cost side continued to rise, significantly increasing production pressure on enterprises; in March, the aluminum fluoride tender price of a downstream benchmark enterprise was finalized, down 200-370 yuan/mt MoM, and the spot market also moved in the doldrums under its guidance. At present, the industry is facing a two-way squeeze of rising costs and selling prices under pressure, narrowing profit margins and dampening production enthusiasm. Fundamentally: Cost side: fluorite and sulphuric acid prices remained firm, providing clear bottom support for aluminum fluoride. Supply side: industry operating rates stayed in the doldrums, with no significant increase in production, and overall supply and demand remained subdued. Demand side: rigid demand from aluminum remained stable, but there was no obvious incremental growth, and procurement was mainly as needed. Overall, the strong support effect from fluorite and sulphuric acid on the cost side became more prominent, coupled with low industry operating rates and shrinking supply. Aluminum fluoride's price center is expected to move steadily higher next month, showing a mild strengthening trend. Going forward, close and continuous attention should be paid to dynamic changes on the raw material cost side, as well as marginal adjustments in the procurement pace of downstream aluminum enterprises.