According to the data released by the Japanese Iron and Steel Federation (JISF), Japanese pig iron production in August this year totaled 6.24 million metric tons, decreasing by 15.6 percent year on year, and up 9.7 percent compared to July. Meanwhile, the country's crude steel production in August amounted to 8.31 million metric tons, down 18.3 percent year on year, increasing by 8.5 percent month on month.
In the first eight months of the year, Japan's pig iron production reached 40.77 million metric tons, decreasing by 30.8 percent, while crude steel production totaled 52.66 million metric tons, down 36 percent, both compared to the same period of the previous year.
In August Japan's steel section production amounted to 465,800 metric tons, down 24.1 percent, its bar production came to 802,700 metric tons, down 16.2 percent, its wire rod output was 160,800 mt, down 11 percent, HR wide strip production was 3.57 million mt, down 11.4 percent, and cold rolled wide strip output amounted to 1.7 million mt, down 15.8 percent, all compared to August 2008.
