In December last year, Japanese crude steel production was down by 1.8 percent compared to the previous month and up by 1.1 percent compared to December 2022, totaling 6.99 million mt, according to the data released by the Japan Iron and Steel Federation (JISF).
Meanwhile, in the given month Japan’s pig iron production totaled 5.07 million metric tons, up by 0.7 percent compared to the previous month and by 0.1 percent year on year.
In 2023, the country’s crude steel output stood at 87.0 million metric tons, down by 2.5 percent, while its pig iron production came to 63.04 million metric tons, falling by 1.7 percent, both on year-on-year basis.
The production volume of some steel products in Japan can be seen in the chart below:
Product |
December 2023 (mt) |
M-o-m change (%) |
Y-o-y change (%) |
Hot rolled section |
404,400 |
+1.0 |
+2.5 |
Bar |
625,900 |
-7.5 |
-1.0 |
Wire rod |
103,900 |
+3.1 |
+1.4 |
Heavy plate |
590,800 |
-0.2 |
-3.1 |
Hot rolled wide strip |
2,933,500 |
-2.1 |
+2.8 |
Cold rolled wide strip |
1,130,900 |
-1.8 |
-0.6 |
Galvanized sheet |
680,600 |
-6.3 |
-1.4 |
Welded pipe |
243,000 |
-7.7 |
-1.3 |