In August this year, Japan's cold rolled sheet and strip shipments further decreased by 3.35 percent on month-on-month basis, following a 2.4 percent drop in July. While the country's CR sheet and strip shipments amounted to 604,192 metric tons in August, 48.66 percent of shipments were made to the domestic market, while the remaining 51.34 percent were made to the export markets, according to the Japan Iron and Steel Federation (JISF) data.
Meanwhile, in August, Japan's CR sheet and strip inventories decreased by 1.3 percent over the previous month, reaching 665,962 metric tons, and were up 8.67 percent year on year. 74.06 percent of inventories were held by steel manufacturers, while 25.94 percent were held by steel traders.
The average domestic price for CR sheet and strip in Japan in August was JPY 88,000/mt ($1,083/mt), remaining unchanged as compared to the previous month, and up 15.79 percent year on year from JPY 76,000.
In the month in question, Japan's CR sheet and strip output totaled 595,454 metric tons, decreasing by 6.21 percent over July and up 4.78 percent year on year.