In April this year, Japanese crude steel production decreased by three percent compared to the previous month, while it rose by one percent year on year, totaling 9.2 million mt, according to the data released by the Japan Iron and Steel Federation (JISF). Japanese crude steel production had witnessed a 13.5 percent month-on-month increase in March this year.
Meanwhile, Japan's pig iron production in April this year totaled 6.8 million metric tons, decreasing by 5.2 percent month on month and up 1.7 percent compared to the same month last year.
In the January-April period of this year, the country's pig iron output stood at 27.4 million metric tons, rising 2.6 percent, while its crude steel production came to 35.8 million metric tons, rising slightly by 0.5 percent, both compared to the corresponding period of 2012.
Japan's steel product output tonnages in April 2013:
Product | April 2013 (mt) | Y-o-y change (%) | M-o-m change (%) |
Hot rolled section | 495,600 | 0.9 | -6 |
Bar | 887,000 | 5.9 | 2.9 |
187,700 | 37.5 | 14.2 | |
Heavy plate | 884,900 | -6.4 | -3.2 |
Hot rolled wide strip | 3,649,000 | -9.8 | 7.6 |
Cold rolled wide strip | 1,642,600 | -9.2 | 1.7 |
Galvanized sheet | 983,000 | -9 | 3 |
Welded pipe | 308,300 | -18.6 | 5.1 |