Aluminum use in construction is enjoying a new high and on its way to a forecast nearly 10% increase in the next three years.
So says a new report put together by the Troy, Michigan-based Ducker Carlisle Consulting Company that also sees increased aluminum use in both commercial buildings as well as in solar installations.
The report, Building the Future: Trend of Aluminum Use in the U.S. Construction Market, additionally notes that nonresidential construction has accounted for more than 60% of the 2.5 billion pounds of aluminum used in building projects, with the highest proportion of aluminum being used for window frames.
The material, notes a press release from the Aluminum Association, is now poised to supplant “wood in fencing and masonry in commercial building cladding due to aesthetic trends, longevity, and ease of installation.”
The Ducker Carlisle report comes as the price of aluminum on the market saw a 9% decline in July. According to the Aluminum Monthly Metals Index, prices subsequently saw what has been since been described as a modest 2.2% increase during the first two weeks of August.
Prices overall have been on a fairly consistent level between August of 2023 and April of this year, before an upward spike played out between late April and early July.
Like other building materials, aluminum was impacted in 2020 by the Covid 19 pandemic, seeing a 35% price decrease, while substantially rebounding the following two years.
Overall aluminum inventory levels internationally, meanwhile, are described as well-stocked, with Chinese overcapacity in many ways defining the current global supply landscape.
By Garry Boulard
Image Credit: Courtesy of Pixabay
