US primary aluminum production tumbles yr/yr in Oct

NEW YORK, Nov 12 (Reuters) - The annual rate of primary U.S. aluminum production slid 37.2 percent to 1,607,884 tonnes in October from 2,561,162 tonnes in October 2008, but rose 2.2 percent from September's annual rate of 1,573,746 tonnes, the Aluminum Association said on Thursday. For the year through October, the annual production rate dropped 35.4 percent to 1,746,065 tonnes from a 2,703,264-tonne rate in the similar 2008 period. Actual production for October came to 136,560 tonnes, down sharply from 216,929 tonnes in October 2008, but higher than 129,349 tonnes produced in September, the association said. Actual production for the year through October slid to 1,454,257 tonnes from 2,252,720 tonnes in the 2008 ten-month period, the association said. October's average daily production fell to 4,405 tonnes from 6,998 tonnes in October 2008, but was up from 4,312 average tonnes produced in September, the aluminum group added. It also said average daily production dropped to 4,784 tonnes in the first ten months from 7,386 tonnes in the comparable 2008 period. The association said companies participating in the survey account for 100 percent of U.S. primary aluminum production. (Reporting by Carole Vaporean; Editing by John Picinich)