Aluminium

Aluminium is a chemical element with the symbol Al, and the third most abundant of all elements (after oxygen and silicon).

Aluminium is silver in colour and has low density, reflective, soft, non-magnetic and ductile properties. It is commonly sold as sheets, packaging, structurally in the building and construction industry for windows, doors, and frames.

It's rare to find Aluminium in its native form, and usually produced from bauxite ore and is commonly mined in Australian, China, Guinea and India.

Bauxite is converted to Alumina, using the Bayer process, and once converted to Alumina it can then be converted to Aluminium. The conversion of bauxite to Aluminium is an extremely energy intensive processed, with energy costings being 20-40% of the cost of production.

The spot price for alumina and aluminium is recorded daily on the London Metals Exchange (LME).