In the first quarter of this year, Japan's cold rolled sheet and strip shipments decreased by 3.3 percent compared to the same quarter of the previous year and were up by 9.2 percent on quarter-on-quarter basis, according to the Japan Iron and Steel Federation (JISF) data. The country's CR sheet and strip shipments amounted to 1.64 million metric tons in the first quarter, while 48 percent of shipments were made to the domestic market, and the remaining 52 percent were made to the export markets.
In March this year, Japan's cold rolled sheet and strip shipments amounted to 599,110 mt, decreasing by 6.9 percent compared to March 2012, but up 12 percent over February this year.
Meanwhile, in March of the current year, Japan's CR sheet and strip inventories decreased by one percent from the previous month, to 645,153 metric tons, and were down 5.6 percent year on year. 68 percent of inventories were held by steel manufacturers, while 32 percent were held by steel traders.
The average domestic price for CR sheet and strip in Japan in the first quarter of the year was JPY 78,000/mt ($767/mt), remaining unchanged from the previous quarter and down JPY 4,000/mt ($39/mt) compared to the first quarter of the previous year.
In the period in question, Japan's CR sheet and strip output totaled 1.62 million metric tons, decreasing by 5.6 percent from the first quarter of 2012 and up 10.3 percent quarter on quarter.