In March this year, Japan’s cold rolled sheet and strip shipments rose by 18.8 percent compared to the previous month and declined by 7.1 percent on year-on-year basis, amounting to 450,337 metric tons. 50.7 percent of shipments were made to the domestic market, while the remaining 49.3 percent were made to the export markets, according to the Japan Iron and Steel Federation (JISF) data.
Meanwhile, in the given month, Japan’s CR sheet and strip inventories fell by 5.6 percent compared to the previous month, totaling 689,735 metric tons, and were down by 19.4 percent year on year. 70.6 percent of inventories were held by steel manufacturers, while 29.4 percent were held by steel traders.
In March, Japan’s CR sheet and strip production amounted to 409,754 mt, increasing by 12.8 percent month on month and down by 12.5 percent year on year.