In April this year, Japan’s cold rolled sheet and strip shipments decreased by 14.7 percent compared to the previous month and up by 3.5 percent on year-on-year basis, amounting to 413,518 metric tons. 55.4 percent of shipments were made to the domestic market, while the remaining 44.6 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 dropped by 5.3 percent compared to the previous month, totaling 810,521 metric tons, and were up by 6.2 percent year on year. 72.3 percent of inventories were held by steel manufacturers, while 27.7 percent were held by steel traders.
In April, Japan’s CR sheet and strip production amounted to 368,435 mt, dropping by 21.3 percent month on month and by 20.2 percent year on year.
