In the first quarter this year, Japan's cold rolled sheet and strip shipments decreased by 0.42 percent on year-on-year basis to 1.63 million metric tons, according to the Japan Iron and Steel Federation (JISF) data. 55 percent of shipments were made to the domestic market and the remaining 45 percent were made to the export markets.
Meanwhile, in March this year, Japan's CR sheet and strip inventories increased by 1.35 percent from the previous month to 667,155 metric tons, and were up 3.41 percent year on year. 72 percent of inventories were held by steel manufacturers, while 28 percent were held by steel traders.
The average domestic price for CR sheet and strip in Japan in the first quarter this year was JPY 79,000/mt ($774/mt), up JPY 1,000/mt ($9.80/mt) compared to the average price in the first quarter of the previous year.
In January-March this year, Japan's CR sheet and strip output totaled 1.65 million metric tons, increasing by 1.82 percent year on year.