In July this year, Japan's cold rolled (CR) sheet and strip shipments increased by 1.16 percent on month-on-month basis, following a 22.2 percent rise in June over May. While the country's CR sheet and strip shipments amounted to 612,093 metric tons in July, 47.88 percent of shipments were made to the domestic market, while the remaining 52.12 percent were made to the export markets, according to the Japan Iron and Steel Federation (JISF) data.
Meanwhile, in July, Japan's CR sheet and strip inventories decreased by 4.56 percent over the previous month, declining to 731,536 metric tons, and were up 8.4 percent year on year. 72.13 percent of inventories were held by steel manufacturers, while 27.73 percent were held by steel traders.
The average domestic price for CR sheet and strip in Japan in July was JPY 87,000/mt ($1,133/mt), remaining unchanged as compared to the previous month, and down 1.14 percent year on year from JPY 88,000.
In the month in question, Japan's CR sheet and strip output totaled 576,861 metric tons, decreasing by 4.62 percent over June and down 9.13 percent year on year.