Aluminium stocks: Top aluminium companies to invest in

Aluminium is all around us, all of the time. Cars, aircraft, buildings, and food and drink packaging all use the white metal. It’s light, strong and conducts electricity.

The aluminium price surged to a new high of almost $3,500 per tonne in March 2022, and since then the price has come down but remained relatively high. Global demand for aluminium is expected to remain high, so we’ve put together this guide to explain why aluminium is important and look at ways to invest in aluminium stocks.

Invest in aluminium stocks from the UK

Aluminium stock	Icon	1-year performance (to Apr. '25)	5-year performance (to Apr. '25)	Link
Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co (RS)		-13.32%	245.68%	Invest Capital at risk
Alcoa Corp (AA)		-10.35%	401.64%	Invest Capital at risk
Rio Tinto PLC (RIO)		N/A	23.24%	Invest Capital at risk
Kaiser Aluminum Corporation (KALU)		-31.63%	-4.42%	Invest Capital at risk
Century Aluminum Company (CENX)		19.51%	460.73%	Invest Capital at risk

What is aluminium?

Unlike gold and silver, aluminium isn’t found in recognisable form in the ground. To produce aluminium, you have to mine large quantities of bauxite, a red rock that contains a lot of aluminium minerals. Bauxite is crushed and processed to produce alumina. This is then converted into aluminium.

Aluminium is light, strong and conducts electricity very well. It’s also easy to recycle. Aluminium melts easily and recycling it uses much less energy than producing new metal. One leading aluminium producer estimates that 75% of all the aluminium ever produced is still in use today.

How to invest in aluminium stocks

1. Choose a platform. If you’re a beginner, our share-dealing table below can help you choose.
2. Open your account. You’ll need your ID, bank details and national insurance number.
3. Confirm your payment details. You’ll need to fund your account with a bank transfer, debit card or credit card.
4. Search the platform for aluminium stock codes.
5. Research the shares you want to buy. The platform should provide the latest information available.
6. Buy your shares. It’s that simple.

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Ways to invest in aluminium

If you’d like to invest in aluminium stocks, there are several possible choices. To get started you’ll need a stocks and shares ISA, share dealing account or perhaps a self-invested personal pension (SIPP).

Once you’ve chosen a trading or investing platform, you’ll need to follow a few simple steps so that you can start trading.

• Create an account with your chosen provider. You’ll probably have to provide some ID to verify your name and address.
• Fund your account. Most platforms let you add money to your account by bank transfer, credit or debit card.
• Make your investment. Search for your chosen investment on your trading platform and submit a buy order.

Strategy 1
Invest in aluminium stocks

Investing in aluminium stocks means buying shares in the companies that produce aluminium. The 3 biggest aluminium producers in the world are Russia, China and Australia. Some big producers are listed on the UK stock market, but others are listed overseas.

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Strategy 2
Invest in aluminium ETFs

Exchange-traded funds allow you to invest in a basket of assets by purchasing a single stock. An aluminium ETF can provide a more diversified exposure to aluminium. A number of these funds are available on UK investing platforms.

There are 2 types of aluminium ETF. Equity-based ETFs will buy shares in aluminium producers. These are intended to provide exposure to the companies that make aluminium. They may also pay dividends.

Other aluminium ETFs invest in futures instead. Futures are leveraged instruments that track the price of a commodity. Aluminium ETFs that buy futures generally aim to track the price of aluminium directly, although this can’t be guaranteed.

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Strategy 3
Invest in aluminium futures

Buying a futures contract means agreeing to pay today’s price at a fixed time in the future. Buying aluminium futures is a high-risk way to gain exposure to the metal.

If the price goes up, then you make a profit. If the price falls, you lose money. What makes futures so risky is that they are leveraged. When you buy a futures contract, you only pay the margin, or deposit. You don’t pay the full value of the contract.

For this reason, losses on futures contracts can be much bigger than your original deposit. If you choose to trade futures, you need to make sure you understand the potential losses if the price goes against you.

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Take a deeper dive into aluminium stocks

If you're interested in investing in the aluminium industry, take a closer look at what companies in this industry do and how the stocks have historically performed. Keep in mind that positive past performance doesn't guarantee that a stock will continue to rise in the future.

Reliance Steel-and-Aluminum (RS)

Reliance, Inc. operates as a diversified metal solutions provider and metals service center company primarily in the United States and Canada. It distributes a line of metal products, including alloy, aluminum, brass, copper, carbon steel, stainless steel, titanium, and other specialty steel products; and provides metals processing services to consumer products, general manufacturing, non-residential construction, transportation, aerospace, energy, electronics and semiconductor fabrication, industrial machinery, and heavy industries.

Reliance Steel-and-Aluminum is listed on the NYSE, has a trailing 12-month revenue of around 13.8 billion and employs 15,900 staff.

• Market capitalization: $15,164,852,224
• P/E ratio: 18.3866
• PEG ratio: 1.2

Capital at risk

Alcoa (AA)

Alcoa Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the bauxite mining, alumina refining, aluminum production, and energy generation business in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Iceland, Norway, Spain, the United States, and internationally. The company operates through two segments, Alumina and Aluminum. It operates bauxite and other aluminous ores mining; and processes bauxite into alumina for sale to aluminum smelter customers and customers who process it into industrial chemical products through supply contracts to third parties, as well as aluminum smelting and casting businesses.

Alcoa is listed on the NYSE, has a trailing 12-month revenue of around $11.9 billion and employs 13,900 staff.

• Market capitalization: $7,937,413,632
• P/E ratio: 117.9231

Capital at risk

Rio Tinto (RIO)

Rio Tinto Group engages in exploring, mining, and processing mineral resources worldwide. The company operates through Iron Ore, Aluminium, Copper, and Minerals Segments. The Iron Ore segment engages in the iron ore mining, and salt and gypsum production in Western Australia. The Aluminum segment is involved in bauxite mining; and alumina refining, smelting, and recycling. The Copper segment engages in mining and refining of copper, gold, silver, molybdenum, and other by-products and exploration activities.

Rio Tinto is listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE), has a trailing 12-month revenue of around $53.7 billion and employs 60,000 staff.

• Market capitalization: $76,643,958,784
• P/E ratio: 8.5902

Capital at risk

Kaiser Aluminum (KALU)

Kaiser Aluminum Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells semi-fabricated specialty aluminum mill products. It offers rolled, extruded, and drawn aluminum products used for aerospace and defense, aluminum beverage and food packaging, and automotive and general engineering products. The company offers aero/HS products, such as heat-treated plates and sheets, hard alloy extruded shapes, cold finish rods and bars, and seamless drawn tubes and billets used for end uses in the global aerospace, space, and defense industries.

Kaiser Aluminum Corporation is listed on the NASDAQ, has a trailing 12-month revenue of around £3 billion and employs 4,000 staff.

• Market capitalization: $1,052,652,032
• P/E ratio: 22.7754
• PEG ratio: 2.24

Capital at risk

Century Aluminum Company (CENX)

Century Aluminum Company, together with its subsidiaries, produces and sells standard-grade and value-added primary aluminum products in the United States and Iceland. It also owns and operates a carbon anode production facility located in Vlissingen, the Netherlands, as well as engages in the bauxite mining and alumina refining business in Jamaica. The company was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.

Century Aluminum Company is listed on the NASDAQ, has a trailing 12-month revenue of around $2.2 billion and employs 2,971 staff.

• Market capitalization: $1,712,963,584
• P/E ratio: 5.6758

Capital at risk

Why is aluminium suddenly so valuable?

The price of aluminium is around $2,700 per tonne in early 2025. But the aluminium price surged in recent years for 3 reasons.

• Energy prices. Producing aluminium requires a lot of energy. Typically, around one-third of the cost of aluminium is energy. Surging gas and coal prices have pushed up the price of aluminium.
• Ukraine conflict. Russia is one of the world’s largest producers of aluminium. There’s a risk that export bans and sanctions will interfere with global supplies of aluminium.
• Strong demand. While supply is under threat, demand for aluminium remains high. One growth area is electric vehicles, which use more aluminium than conventional cars.

What is aluminium used for?

Aluminium is used for many different things, including:

• Car manufacturing
• Food and drink cans
• Aircraft
• Consumer electronics, including smartphones
• Electric cables
• Construction

Compare platforms for trading aluminium stocks

The following share-dealing platforms offer access to a wide range of global (and UK) businesses. See which offers the most attractive rates for your needs, then simply head to the provider’s website and search for the name of the company you want to invest in.

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Bottom line

Investing in aluminium stocks could give you exposure to an industrial metal that’s essential for modern life. Demand is expected to remain strong and prices are high at the moment.

However, commodity prices can be volatile and may rise or fall very suddenly. A drop in the price of aluminium could cause the price of aluminium stocks to drop, so we think it’s important to consider investing aluminium as part of a diversified portfolio.

Finder survey: Would Brits consider investing in aluminium stocks?

48% of people we surveyed said they already invest in aluminium stocks or would consider investing in aluminium stocks.

Frequently asked questions

• Can I buy aluminium stocks from the UK?

  Most UK investing and trading platforms allow you to buy aluminium stocks and ETFs, including US stocks and other overseas shares.

• Do you pay tax on aluminium stocks in the UK?

  Investment profits may be subject to capital gains tax and dividend tax unless they’re sheltered inside a stocks and shares ISA, or a pension.

• Is it worth investing in aluminium stocks?

  If you think that aluminium prices are likely to remain high, then investing in aluminium stocks could make sense. However, the future is never certain and commodity prices can be very volatile.

  The aluminium price soared in 2022, but commodity price spikes are often followed by sharp falls. There’s no way to know what might happen next.

• Is it better to buy gold or aluminium?

  Gold and aluminium have different purposes. Gold has been trusted as an alternative to money for thousands of years. You can carry it around and exchange it for local currency anywhere in the world.

  Aluminium isn’t portable and isn’t accepted for payments. But it is essential to modern industry and most analysts expect demand to increase over the coming years.

• Is aluminium in high demand?

  Demand for aluminium appears to be strong at the moment. This is mostly due to strong demand from car manufacturers, who use aluminium to save weight and reduce fuel consumption.

• Is aluminium a good investment 2023?

  The future of commodity prices is never certain. Some experts expect demand for aluminium to remain high, potentially driving prices even higher. If that does happen, aluminium producers could enjoy strong profits.

  However, there’s no guarantee of this. Historically, very high commodity prices are often followed by sharp falls, as demand slumps. We’d always suggest doing your own research or taking professional advice before investing in aluminium stocks.

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