METALSGOWHERE ATLAS · SUPPLY RESEARCH
Aluminium stages are not additive
Bauxite, alumina and primary metal are successive stages; adding their masses double-counts material.
Definitions
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Bauxite | Ore mined as feed for alumina production. |
| Alumina | An intermediate oxide refined from bauxite. |
| Primary metal | Metal produced by smelting alumina; secondary metal is a separate measure. |
Mechanical rules
| If | Then |
|---|---|
| A figure describes bauxite, alumina or primary metal. | Label the stage and keep it separate from the other stages. |
| Values describe successive stages of the same chain. | Do not add their masses into one supply total. |
| A stage has no public observation in the example. | Leave it unknown rather than assign zero. |
Common misreadings
- Ore, oxide and metal weights are not additive measures of independent material.
- Primary metal output does not establish bauxite mining or alumina refining output.
Examples from cleared public records
Primary-metal country observation: Only the public primary-metal observation is shown; unavailable upstream stages remain unknown.
| Record | Value | Unit | Data period | Basis | Ownership boundary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia Country observation USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 | 1,500,000 | t | 2025-01-01 – 2025-12-31 · FY · full year · estimated | Primary Aluminium | Not stated in the public record |
The current public example does not include every stage in the chain. An absent stage remains unknown, not zero.
Related research paths
Original sources and review evidence
- USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026
Source edition: 2026-02-06 · Fact review: 2026-09-06 · estimated · Printed page 41
Method content edition: 2026-10-07
Continue with the source record
Keep the material, period and reporting boundary explicit as you move from a country observation to a selected project.