Abstract: This paper reviewed recent progress in aluminum flow analysis, identified the characteristics and insufficiencies of existing studies, and projected future avenues of development for aluminum flow analysis.At present, the study of aluminum material flow have combined with industrial ecology, ignoring the dynamic simulation of the model; most studies have been conducted at the national(or multi-national) levels，while few has been performed at regional or at enterprise or product levels.These studies focused on the aluminum life cycle metabolic process and the in-use stock of aluminum, while ignoring the factors behind the flow of material.To fill the lack of research on the aluminum material flow, we have to combined with industrial ecology, industrial economics and other methods to build a dynamic simulation model of aluminum material flow; to improve the regional/enterprise statistical system, strengthen the basic research, and complete the micro-level of the aluminum material flow basic database; and to establish the research system of aluminum material flow, energy flow and environmental flow, identify the factors that affecting the flow of aluminum material and simulate its metabolic process in the future study.