In January this year, Japan’s cold rolled sheet and strip shipments declined by 10.8 percent compared to the previous month and by 17.0 percent on year-on-year basis, amounting to 358,238 metric tons. 56.1 percent of shipments were made to the domestic market, while the remaining 43.9 percent were made to the export markets, according to the Japan Iron and Steel Federation (JISF) data.
Meanwhile, in the given month, Japan’s CR sheet and strip inventories rose by 4.5 percent compared to the previous month, totaling 745,833 metric tons, and were down by 12.7 percent year on year. 73.8 percent of inventories were held by steel manufacturers, while 26.2 percent were held by steel traders.
In January, Japan’s CR sheet and strip production amounted to 390,254 mt, moving up by seven percent month on month and falling by 14.0 percent year on year.