Growing uncertainty over Guinea’s bauxite export policy, alongside severe disruption to alumina supply chains caused by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, emerged as key themes at the Fastmarkets Bauxite & Alumina Conference in Miami on March 24-25, with delegates warning of heightened price volatility and shifting trade flows.

Guinea’s long-anticipated intervention in the bauxite market is beginning to take shape.

Guinea, the world's biggest bauxite producer, is considering plans to compel miners to curb exports of bauxite in a bid to halt the slump in the price of the key raw material for aluminium production, sources told Fastmarkets on Monday March 9.

The escalating tensions between Iran and Israel since Saturday February 28 have heightened market concerns over potential disruptions to maritime trade routes, particularly the Strait of Hormuz – a key transit corridor for Iranian material shipments bound for China.

Fastmarkets has corrected its MB-BX-0016 Bauxite, cif China, price assessment, which was published incorrectly on Friday February 20.

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Guinea bauxite exports have surged in 2025, driven by record shipments to China and reinforcing Guinea’s dominance in the global bauxite market. As oversupply weighs on alumina prices, market participants are increasingly focused on cost control, freight management and transparent FOB pricing mechanisms.

Following an informal consultation with the market, and a review of typical data sets that are collected over the recent months, Fastmarkets now proposes to increase the frequency of MB-BX-0016 Bauxite, cif China, $/dmt price to weekly basis and extend the timing of the price to reflect cargoes for arrival within 90 days, as well as moving the publish time to Friday from Wednesday.

Fastmarkets has launched the MB-BX-0017 Bauxite, FOB Guinea price, $/dmt on Friday December 19, 2025.

Falling alumina prices, geopolitics and a volatile aluminium market will be the hot topics during the Fastmarkets’ annual Bauxite & Alumina Conference, taking place in Miami, Florida on April 2-4.