GAAP measures are not provided because certain items required for such reconciliations are outside of our control and/or cannot be reasonably predicted or provided without unreasonable effort.
Metal Pricing Policies
A fundamental part of our business model is to remain neutral to the impact from fluctuations in the market price for aluminum and certain alloys, thereby earning profit predominantly from the conversion of aluminum into semi-fabricated mill products. We refer to this as “metal price neutrality.” We purchase primary, rolling ingot and scrap, or recycled, aluminum, our main raw material, and alloys at prices that fluctuate on a monthly basis, and our pricing policies generally allow us to pass the current month underlying index cost of aluminum and certain alloys through to our customers so that we remain neutral to metal pricing. We may also enter into firm-price customer sales agreements that specify a firm underlying metal price plus a conversion price. Firm-price sales agreements create price exposure for us, which we mitigate through hedging and related programs with an objective to remain metal price neutral. Additionally, we have certain contracts that may adjust certain alloy prices for a forward period based on an average prior period cost for such alloys. As a result, until the selling price resets, we can experience an adverse impact when alloy prices increase and a favorable impact when alloy prices decrease.
In order to allow users of our financial statements to consider the impact of aluminum and alloy cost on our Net sales, we disclose Net sales as well as Conversion Revenue, which is Net sales less the Hedged Cost of Alloyed Metal. As used in this discussion, “Hedged Cost of Alloyed Metal” is the cost of aluminum at the average MWTP plus the cost of alloying elements and any realized gains and/or losses on settled hedges related to the metal sold in the referenced period. The average MWTP of aluminum reflects the primary aluminum supply/demand dynamics in North America. For a reconciliation of Conversion Revenue to Net sales, see below in “Results of Operations - Selected Operational and Financial Information.”
Business Overview
We manufacture and sell semi-fabricated specialty aluminum mill products for the following end market applications: (i) Aero/HS Products; (ii) Packaging; (iii) GE Products; and (iv) Automotive Extrusions. Our fabricated aluminum mill products include flat-rolled (plate, sheet and coil), extruded (rod, bar, hollows and shapes), drawn (rod, bar, pipe, tube and wire) and certain cast aluminum products. The sophistication of our products is due to the metallurgy and physical properties of the metal and the special characteristics that are required for particular end uses. We strategically choose to serve technically challenging applications for which we can deploy our core metallurgical and process technology capabilities to produce highly engineered mill products with differentiated characteristics that present opportunities for us to receive premium pricing and to create long-term profitable growth.
With respect to the global market for flat-rolled aluminum mill products, our focus is on heat treat plate and sheet for applications that require higher strength and other desired product attributes that cannot be achieved by common alloy rolled products. The primary end market applications of flat-rolled heat treat plate and sheet, which are produced at Trentwood, are Aero/HS Products (which we sell globally) and GE Products (which we predominantly sell within North America). The primary end market application of bare and coated aluminum coil, which are produced at Warrick, is Packaging (which we sell in North America). Our Packaging products require demanding attributes and can be further processed to include coating and slitting depending on customer specifications.
In the areas of aluminum extrusions, we focus on demanding Aero/HS Products, GE Products, and Automotive Extrusions that require high strength, machinability or other specific properties where we can create and maintain a defensible competitive position because of our technical expertise, strong production capability and high product quality. Our 10 active extrusion/drawing facilities, nine of which are in the United States and one of which is in Canada, serve primarily North American demand for aerospace, general engineering, or automotive applications. Additionally, we have a facility in Columbia, New Jersey, that focuses on multi-material advanced manufacturing methods and techniques, which include multi-axis computer numerical control machining, additive manufacturing (“3D Printing”), welding and fabrication for demanding aerospace and defense, high technology, general industrial, and automotive applications. Our consolidated Net sales for the nine months ended September 30, 2025 totaled $2,444.0 million on approximately 834.2 million pounds shipped from our facilities. We employed approximately 3,900 people at September 30, 2025.
We have long-standing relationships with our customers, which consist primarily of blue-chip companies including leading aerospace and automotive manufacturers, tier one aerospace and automotive suppliers, food and beverage packaging manufacturers, and metal service centers. Approximately 70% of our shipments is sold direct to manufacturers or tier one suppliers and approximately 30% is sold to metal service centers. In our served markets, we seek to be the supplier of choice by pursuing “Best in Class” customer satisfaction driven by quality, availability, service and delivery performance. We believe we differentiate our product portfolio through our broad product offering and our KaiserSelect® products, which are engineered and manufactured to deliver enhanced product characteristics with improved consistency, so as to result in better performance, lower waste and, in many cases, lower production cost for our customers.