In January this year, Japan's hot rolled plate and sheet shipments decreased by 4.3 percent compared to the previous month and were down by 6.6 percent compared to the same month of 2016, amounting to 745,000 metric tons. 82.6 percent of shipments were made to the domestic market, while the remaining 17.4 percent were made to the export markets, according to the Japan Iron and Steel Federation (JISF) data.
In January, Japan's hot rolled plate and sheet production amounted to 766,000 mt, down two percent month on month and falling 6.7 percent year on year.
Meanwhile, in January, Japan's hot rolled strip shipments amounted to 1.54 million mt, up 5.9 percent from the previous month and rising by 6.4 percent year on year. 25.1 percent of shipments were made to the domestic market, while the remaining 74.9 percent were made to the export markets. In the given month, Japan's hot rolled strip production amounted to 1.68 million mt, increasing by 21.9 percent month on month and up by 8.5 percent year on year.