In August, Japanese crude steel production regressed compared to the previous month, after having started in the month of January with a peak level for 2011. Meanwhile, the year-on-year change in the country's crude steel production represented a slight increase after five months of decreasing.
According to the data released by the Japanese Iron and Steel Federation (JISF), Japanese crude steel production in August amounted to 8.9 million metric tons, up 0.1 percent year on year and falling by 2.7 percent month on month. Meanwhile, the country's pig iron production in August this year totaled 6.96 million metric tons, increasing by 1.7 percent year on year and down 1.5 percent compared to July.
In the January-August period of 2011, the country's pig iron output stood at 54.31 million metric tons and its crude steel production came to 72.1 million metric tons, with decreases of 0.7 percent and 0.8 percent, both compared to the corresponding period of 2010.
In August, Japan's steel section production amounted to 406,600 metric tons, up 9.7 percent year on year and up 7.7 percent, its bar production came to 716,800 metric tons, up 4.9 percent year on year and down 7.1 month on month, its wire rod output was 137,600 mt, down 9.2 percent year on year and down 14.6 percent, heavy plate output reached 1.02 million metric tons, down six percent year on year and up 6.4 percent month on month, HR wide strip production was 3.76 million mt, down 1.4 percent year on year and up 0.3 percent month on month, CR wide strip output amounted to 1.83 million mt, down 5.2 percent year on year and 1.2 percent month on month, galvanized sheet production totaled 1.06 million metric tons, down 9.6 percent year on year and 1.6 percent month on month, and welded pipe output was 302,300 metric tons decreasing by 0.7 percent year on year but up 3.3 percent compared to July this year.