In March this year, Japanese crude steel production increased by 13.5 percent compared to the previous month, while it rose by 1.3 percent year on year, totaling 9.4 million mt, according to the data released by the Japan Iron and Steel Federation (JISF). In the first quarter of the current year, Japanese crude steel production came to 26.6 million metric tons, rising by 0.2 percent compared to the corresponding period of 2012.
Meanwhile, Japan's pig iron production in March this year totaled 7.2 million metric tons, increasing by 12.8 percent month on month and up 2.2 percent compared to the same month last year. In the January-March period of this year, the country's pig iron output stood at 20.6 million metric tons, rising by 2.9 percent year on year.
Japan's steel product output tonnages in March and in the first quarter of 2013:
Product | March 2013 (mt) | Y-o-y change (%) | M-o-m change (%) | Q1 2013 | Y-o-y change (%) |
Hot rolled section | 527,100 | 0.9 | 9.2 | 1,492,400 | 1.5 |
Bar | 917,300 | 4.5 | 12.4 | 2,495,900 | 0.2 |
214,400 | 30.7 | 33.7 | 551,900 | 20.8 | |
Heavy plate | 914,600 | -15.7 | 12.9 | 2,625,900 | -11.2 |
Hot rolled wide strip | 4,034,400 | 4.8 | 19.4 | 11,327,700 | 4.6 |
Cold rolled wide strip | 1,792,200 | -3.6 | 12.6 | 5,134,500 | -2.9 |
Galvanized sheet | 1,086,900 | -2.3 | 14.7 | 3,060,300 | -2.2 |
Welded pipe | 351,400 | 5.7 | -3.5 | 1,037,000 | 9.7 |
Total hot rolled products of specialty steel | 1,692,500 | -5.3 | 14.5 | 4,673,400 | -10.2 |