According to the data released by the Japan Iron and Steel Association, ordinary steel product orders booked by domestic steel consuming sectors in Japan in March this year amounted to 6.27 million metric tons, increasing by 4.36 percent compared to February and up 60.6 percent year on year. The country's domestic ordinary steel product orders rose for the second month in a row in March, reaching even higher than 2008 levels.
In March, ordinary steel product orders in Japan booked by the domestic construction sector increased by 12.81 percent compared to February, to 996,844 metric tons, while a year-on-year increase of 30.19 percent was witnessed. Meanwhile, steel product orders booked by the Japanese automotive sector in March reached 771,206 metric tons, down 2.96 percent compared to February and up 125.49 percent year on year. Finally, Japan's shipbuilding industry booked 448,945 metric tons of ordinary steel products during the month in question, up 1.15 percent month on month and declining by 10.92 percent year on year.