Visualized: What Cutting Canadian Aluminum Would Cost the U.S.

Visualized: What Cutting Canadian Aluminum Would Cost the U.S.

Producing Canadian aluminum is energy-intensive. Creating a metric ton of this versatile material takes nearly 15,000 kilowatt hours–enough electricity to power a typical U.S. household for 16 months.

With the U.S. planning to place tariffs on metals coming from Canada and increase its efforts to start domestic production, we ask: what would the replacement of 2.7 million metric tons of Canadian aluminum mean for America’s energy consumption?

To answer this question, Visual Capitalist has partnered with the Aluminum Association of Canada to explore the potential cost of the U.S. abandoning aluminum imported from Canada.

A Critical Material

Aluminum’s versatility has made it essential in various industries. The U.S. consumes between 4 and 5 million metric tons annually, with a large portion sourced from Canada.

In 2024, the nation’s primary aluminum production totaled around 678,000 metric tons, the energy cost of which would have been around 10 million megawatt-hours—around the Hoover Dams’ annual electricity production.

However, the U.S. imported 2.7 million metric tons of Canadian aluminum in 2024. So, what would the energy needs be if the U.S. were to onshore all Canadian aluminum it imports?

If the U.S. were to onshore all 2.7 million metric tons of Canadian aluminum it imported in 2024, the energy requirement would skyrocket to over 40 million megawatt-hours of electricity. This is nearly four and a half times the annual electricity production of the Hoover Dam, enough to power 460 data centers or the entire state of Nevada for a year.

The Vital Place of Canadian Aluminum

Producing aluminum in Canada is simple for two vital reasons: infrastructure and energy.

Thanks to its world-class infrastructure and access to vast supplies of clean energy, Canada offers the U.S. a reliable, low-carbon source of aluminum.

Severing this relationship would not only mean massive financial and energy costs but also a significant setback in sustainability efforts, underlining the urgency of maintaining this partnership.