In January this year, Japan's cold rolled sheet and strip shipments increased by 4.4 percent month on month and were up by four percent on year-on-year basis, according to the Japan Iron and Steel Federation (JISF) data. The country's CR sheet and strip shipments amounted to 517,941 metric tons in January, while 53 percent of shipments were made to the domestic market, and the remaining 47 percent were made to the export markets.
Meanwhile, in January, Japan's CR sheet and strip inventories increased by four percent over the previous month, rising to 690,173 metric tons, and were down 1.75 percent year on year. 71 percent of inventories were held by steel manufacturers, while 29 percent were held by steel traders.
The average domestic price for CR sheet and strip in Japan in January was JPY 78,000/mt ($834/mt), remaining unchanged from the previous month and down JPY 8,000/mt ($85.5/mt) year on year.
In the month in question, Japan's CR sheet and strip output totaled 544,670 metric tons, increasing by 17.4 percent over December 2012 and up 0.9 percent year on year.