JINAN, China, Nov. 11, 2026 — China exported 5.914 million tonnes of unwrought aluminum and aluminum products in January–October 2026, up from 5.020 million tonnes a year earlier, customs data released on Nov. 10 showed. October shipments alone reached 594,000 tonnes, easing from 656,000 tonnes in September.
The monthly dip followed an exceptional September for extrusions, the category that includes aluminum tube and pipe. China shipped 92,700 tonnes of aluminum extrusions in September, up 26.5% year on year and the highest monthly volume of 2026, according to SMM. January–September extrusion exports rose 10.7% to 722,300 tonnes, with Shandong province holding above 12,000 tonnes for a second straight month.
The destination mix is shifting as well. Southeast Asia took 27.7% of September extrusion shipments, Africa 19.6% and Latin America 15,000 tonnes, while non-EU Europe rose 28.6% month on month — a sign that aluminum tube and pipe orders are spreading across smaller markets rather than concentrating in a few large ones.
“Orders are not the constraint; predictable delivery windows are,” said a spokesperson for Shandong Ruixiang Steel Group Co., Ltd., a Jinan-based exporter of steel and aluminum products. “Bookings for 6061 and 6063 aluminum tube used in battery cooling plates and heat exchangers have outpaced the construction segment throughout 2026.”
Price signals remain mixed. LME aluminum cash settlement traded between $3,015 and $3,055 per tonne in mid-October, retreating from August peaks, yet LME-registered stocks have fallen to about 236,000 tonnes — the lowest level this century. Mysteel projects China’s full-year 2026 aluminum balance to swing to a roughly 50,000-tonne deficit from a 514,000-tonne surplus in the first half, as photovoltaic, energy-storage and automotive demand recovers. The next monthly customs release is not due until early December, so buyers are working from the October figures above.
For aluminum tube buyers, headline LME numbers now understate delivered cost. Regional physical premiums stay elevated, and Section 232 duties in the United States apply a 50% tariff to the aluminum content of covered products, accelerating supplier diversification across Europe, the Middle East and Southeast Asia.
Demand is rotating toward thermal management. Extruded 3003 and 5052 tube for liquid-cooling plates, 6063 for structural frames and 1050 for fin stock are absorbing capacity that previously served construction profiles — a structural change that has weakened the usual seasonal buying pattern. Buyers increasingly specify EN 755 or ASTM B221 tolerances, temper O, T5 or T6, ultrasonic or eddy-current testing on seamless grades, and mill test certificates to EN 10204 3.1 with each shipment, because substitution between construction and thermal grades is not always technically permissible.
SMM expects October extrusion exports to land between 83,000 and 90,000 tonnes, with the Q4 midpoint easing to 79,000–86,000 tonnes as the SHFE-LME spread narrows and freight costs rise. Buyers planning first-quarter 2027 aluminum tube contracts are therefore being advised to lock alloy and tolerance specifications early rather than price alone.
Ruixiang said its aluminum tube lines run 1050, 3003, 5052, 6061 and 6063 alloys in extruded and seamless formats, with cut-to-length and surface treatment available for heat exchanger, pneumatic and structural applications. Q4 delivery schedules and 2027 pricing indications will be released to registered buyers this month.
About Shandong Ruixiang Steel Group Co., Ltd.
Shandong Ruixiang Steel Group Co., Ltd. is a Jinan-based manufacturer and exporter of steel and aluminum products, serving distributors, fabricators and OEMs in more than 40 markets across Europe, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and Latin America. Product lines include aluminum tube and pipe, aluminum coil and sheet, stainless steel, carbon steel and galvanized products.
Post time: Nov-11-2026