In the first half of this year, Japan's galvanized sheet output amounted to 5.8 million mt, falling 2.8 percent compared to the first half of 2012. In June, the country's galvanized sheet output decreased by 9.3 percent compared to May and was down 8.1 percent year on year, amounting to 914,676 mt, according to data from the Japan Iron and Steel Federation (JISF).
In the first half of this year, Japan's galvanized sheet shipments decreased by 1.9 percent compared to the same period of the previous year. The country's galvanized sheet shipments amounted to 5.9 million metric tons in the first half, while 68 percent of shipments were made to the domestic market, and the remaining 32 percent were made to the export markets.
In June this year, Japan's galvanized sheet shipments amounted to 959,288 mt, decreasing by 5.4 percent compared to May, and down 5.8 percent from the same month of last year.
Meanwhile, in June Japan's galvanized sheet inventories fell 4.6 percent month on month at 935,516 metric tons, and were down 8.9 percent year on year. 63 percent of inventories were held by steel manufacturers, while 37 percent were held by steel traders.
In the second quarter of the year, the average domestic price for galvanized sheet in Japan was JPY 92,000/mt (approx. $930/mt), stable compared to the first quarter this year and down JPY 6,000/mt (approx. $61/mt) compared to the same quarter of 2012.