What is Aluminium?

Aluminium is the world’s second most widely used metal after steel, accounting for roughly 8% of the Earth’s crust and ranking as the third most common element overall. Found across a wide range of minerals, its combination of low weight and high strength has made it an indispensable material across countless industries worldwide.

One of aluminium’s most useful natural properties is its ability to form a protective oxide layer when exposed to air, giving it excellent resistance to corrosion without any additional treatment. It is also non-toxic, highly workable, and boasts outstanding electrical and thermal conductivity. Perhaps most impressively, aluminium is endlessly recyclable — meaning the material in a drinks can today could find itself in an aircraft wing tomorrow.

 

The Modern Production Process

Step 1 — Mining Bauxite
Production begins with bauxite, a clay mineral found just a few metres below the surface in countries including Australia, Brazil, Jamaica and India. This raw ore is the primary source of all commercially produced aluminium.

Step 2 — Refining
The mined bauxite is ground down and combined with caustic soda (NaOH) before being heated. This dissolves the aluminium oxide content and separates it from the unwanted residue, known as red mud. The resulting aluminium hydroxide is then precipitated and calcined — heated at high temperature — to produce alumina (Al₂O₃), a fine white powder.

Step 3 — Smelting via the Hall–Héroult Process
Alumina is dissolved in molten cryolite (Na₃AlF₆) to reduce its melting point, then subjected to a powerful electrical current in electrolytic cells. The aluminium ions gain electrons and collect as molten metal at the bottom of the cell, while oxygen reacts with the carbon anodes to produce CO₂. The end result is pure molten aluminium at approximately 99.5% purity.

Step 4 — Casting and Forming
For structural and engineering applications, the molten aluminium is alloyed with other elements to enhance its strength before being cast into ingots, billets or slabs. These are then rolled, extruded or forged into finished forms — sheets, foils, tubes, profiles and mouldings — ready for use across construction, manufacturing and beyond.

Step 5 — Surface Finishing
Depending on the application, aluminium products can undergo further treatment such as anodising for enhanced corrosion resistance, or powder coating and painting for colour, protection and aesthetic finish.

 

How Was Aluminium Discovered?

Aluminium was first identified in 1825 by Danish scientist Hans Christian Ørsted during experiments with aluminium potassium sulphate. Two years later, Friedrich Wöhler refined this work, successfully isolating pure aluminium by using potassium to reduce aluminium chloride under heat — causing the potassium to displace the aluminium and yield the pure metal.
While a landmark achievement, Wöhler’s method was slow and impractical for large-scale production. In the 1850s, Henri Étienne Sainte-Claire Deville improved the process by substituting sodium as the reducing agent. Sodium’s greater reactivity made it more effective at displacing aluminium from the compound, but the process still fell short of being commercially viable at scale.

The real breakthrough came with the Hall–Héroult electrolytic process, which remains the foundation of global aluminium production to this day.

 

 

At AM Aluminium, we are here to help you achieve the best solution for your project. From drawing review to delivery, we guide you through the entire process, ensuring we not only meet but exceed your expectations. With over 40 years of experience, we provide a personal, customer-focused service that you can trust. Get in touch with our experts.