In December 2009, Japanese steel pipe and tube output saw its first decrease following a rising trend which began in June of the same year. In the month in question, the average domestic price of steel pipe and tube reached its lowest level in two years.
According to the Japan Iron and Steel Federation (JISF) data, in December 2009 Japan's steel pipe and tube output totaled 322,000 metric tons, decreasing by 5.92 percent over November and down 13.82 percent year on year.
Meanwhile, total Japanese shipments of steel pipes and tubes in December 2009 amounted to 272,000 metric tons, down 11.33 percent month on month and down 28.52 percent over December 2008. During the month in question, 84.63 percent of shipments were made to the domestic market, while the remaining 15.37 percent were made to the export markets.
In December, Japan's steel pipe and tube inventories increased by 11.31 percent over the previous month, reaching 486,750 metric tons, and were down 15.66 percent year on year. 74.21 percent of inventories were held by steel manufacturers, while 25.79 percent were held by steel traders.
The average domestic price for steel pipe and tube in Japan in December was JPY 128,000/mt ($1,431/mt), decreasing by 3.76 percent compared to November, and down 13.51 percent year on year.
In 2009, Japan's total steel pipe and tube output amounted to 3.65 million metric tons, decreasing by 28.13 percent, while its shipments of the products in question amounted to 3.74 million metric tons, down 26.93 percent, both compared to 2008.
