In April this year, Japan's cold rolled sheet and strip shipments decreased by 18.4 percent month on month and were down by 5.3 percent on year-on-year basis, according to the Japan Iron and Steel Federation (JISF) data. The country's CR sheet and strip shipments amounted to 488,885 metric tons in April, while 49.7 percent of shipments were made to the domestic market, and the remaining 50.3 percent were made to the export markets.
Meanwhile, in April, Japan's CR sheet and strip inventories increased by 5.8 percent from the previous month, to 682,878 metric tons, and were up 1.5 percent year on year. 70.9 percent of inventories were held by steel manufacturers, while 29.1 percent were held by steel traders.
The average domestic price for CR sheet and strip in Japan in April was JPY 78,000/mt ($822/mt), remaining unchanged from the previous month and was down JPY 4,000/mt ($42.15/mt) year on year.
In the month in question, Japan's CR sheet and strip output totaled 526,603 metric tons, decreasing by 11.2 percent from March and up 4.2 percent year on year.