China’s June aluminum exports hit record high

China’s unwrought aluminum and product exports climbed to a record high in June, according to official customs data released on Tuesday, as war disruption to supplies and shipments from the Gulf region continued.

Export volume rose to 711,000 metric tons in June, climbing above 700,000 tons for the first time, the data showed.

Shipments were up 12.5% from 632,000 tons in May and surged 45.4% from 489,000 tons a year ago.

In the first six months of 2026, unwrought aluminum and product exports rose 16.3% from a year earlier to 3.4 million tons.

The June shipments were an extension of the previous acceleration since the Iran war disrupted aluminum production and shipments through the Strait of Hormuz from the Gulf region, which accounted for about 9% of global supply.

Concerns over supply from the region had sent aluminum on the London Metal Exchange to a four-year high of $3,724 a ton in early June before eventually ending the month down almost 16% thanks to an easing in tensions and hope for a peace deal between Washington and Iran.

China’s exports of aluminum stranded wire, normally used in power transmission and distribution, also surged due to the Iran war-driven price rally and tax advantages over exports of aluminum ingots. Traders expect export volumes of the wire to have peaked in June, with activity set to slow as the tax-driven arbitrage window closes.

(By Dylan Duan and Lewis Jackson; Editing by Thomas Derpinghaus and Lincoln Feast)