Looking for demand in all the wrong places
AMU takes a closer look at obscure but telling markets - corrugated boxes, cement, and coatings - for early clues on where aluminum demand may really be headed in 2025.
Tag: Demand
Ball, Red Bull, and Rauch break ground on Concord plant: A new era for beverage cans
The long-delayed Concord facility marks Ball's return to the Carolinas and highlights a broader shift in beverage can demand, with energy drinks and specialty drinks driving growth as supply chains and consumer preferences evolve in tandem.
Don't just read our survey results. Have your say.
AMU's monthly survey is a great way to keep tabs on what your peers across the industry are thinking.
Report: Aluminum demand down in H1
The year-over-year decline was partly due to the significant drop in exports, however demand fell in all market segments, with the exception of foil, according to the Aluminum Association.
Market sector deep dive: Solar
An in-depth look at how solar installations shape aluminum demand and U.S. market dynamics amid growing domestic capacity and the rising panel imports in the run-up to tariffs.
Commercial vehicle update: Demand softens while structural costs mount
Weakening truck and trailer orders, freight volume declines, and newly expanded Section 232 tariffs on aluminum derivatives signal mounting pressure on margins and investment decisions across the commercial vehicle sector.
Crosscurrents in non-residential construction Part 2: Dodge data
Parsing out conflicting construction data from the census, Dodge and other sources to see where the market may be headed.
Crosscurrents in non-residential construction Part 1: Spending, billings, backlog
Conflicting reads across census spending, backlog surveys, and Dodge planning data point to a construction market where commercial may be nearing a floor, infrastructure remains buoyed by long pipelines, and heavy industrial lags.
Mating season is upon U.S. and negotiations could be difficult
U.S. aluminum buyers and sellers are bracing for a bruising 2026 contract season as tariffs, tight supply, and shifting scrap economics threaten to push Midwest premiums and upcharges to unprecedented levels.
Grid upgrades starting to cope with rising electricity demand
A massive wave of U.S. grid investment is set to supercharge demand for aluminum transmission cable.