LME aluminum tags push alloy prices down

Prices for A356.2 and C355.2 aluminum alloys have edged down despite firm demand in some

sectors due to falling aluminum tags on the London Metal Exchange, market sources said. 

AMM has lowered its price for A356.2 alloy to $1.26 per pound from $1.28 per pound previously and

reduced its prices for C355.2 alloy from $1.33 per pound to $1.31 per pound. 

The official cash price for LME aluminum was $1,998 per tonne Jan. 29, declining 5.5 percent from $2,009

per tonne Jan. 22. 

“The LME backed off a little bit, and we lost the wind to raise prices,” one producer source said. “But

demand is still good, so we’ll see what happens.” 

He said that his firm had sold some smaller quantities of C355.2 at as much as $1.35 per pound but also

lost some sales, perhaps because of the higher price. 

“If we get a run up in LME, I’m sure (C355.2 prices) will go up to $1.35. I can’t do it all by myself,” the

producer source said. “But demand is good, and we’re busy.” Demand from the automotive sector has

remained solid, he noted, and an improvement in construction activity might help bolster prices further. 

However, another market source said that prices were trending downward because “the LME always drives

the prices on these two alloys.”