According to the data released by the Japanese Iron and Steel Federation (JISF), Japanese pig iron production in July this year totaled 5.68 million metric tons, decreasing by 23.5 percent year on year, and up 11.5 percent compared to June. Meanwhile, the country's crude steel production in July amounted to 7.66 million metric tons, down 24.9 percent year on year, increasing by 11.3 percent month on month.
In the first seven months of the year, Japan's pig iron production reached 34.53 million metric tons, decreasing by 33 percent, while crude steel production totaled 44.35 million metric tons, down 38.5 percent, both compared to the same period of the previous year.
In June Japan's steel section production amounted to 426,300 metric tons, down 33.71 percent, bar production to 774,400 metric tons, down 25.62 percent, wire rod output to 154,400 mt, down 25.12 percent, HR wide strip production to 3.29 million mt, down 19.1 percent, and cold rolled wide strip output to 1.65 million mt, down 23.4 percent, all compared to July 2008.
