Himalayan News Service

Kathmandu, June 28:

The market for aluminum products, used in the construction of houses, is slowly growing in Nepal. More than 90 per cent of the raw aluminium being imported into Nepal is used as finished products in the construction industry. The rest 10 per cent is used by the sectors like the automobile industry and utensil makers. The aluminium industry has witnessed a consistent annual growth of about 20 per cent over the last couple of years. Today the market of aluminium products is worth slightly more than Rs 200 million. Good physical and chemical properties of aluminum have given it lead over the traditional use of timber for construction. This is the major reason for its increasing demand, despite its cost being slightly higher than timber.

More than half of the total raw aluminium being imported to Nepal comes from India. The rest is being imported from China, Thailand and Korea. Thickness, purity and the process of anodizing categorise the finished products into different series like Taiwan, Indal, Thai and Chinese. The price of aluminium products is then delineated according to the series. The strength and durability of these series also vary as their thickness and composition changes from one to other. “It is necessary that a customer knows what kind of series he is using, the anodizing process and the thickness and purity of aluminium as these things are major components that govern the price,” said Avinash Dugar, finance executive at Agrani Aluminium Pvt Ltd. Though aluminium products give a distinct look to a building and it is easy to fabricate and work with, but it is not very safe in terms of stopping thieves and robbers compared to wooden frames.