In August this year, Japan's cold rolled sheet and strip shipments decreased by 20.5 percent compared to the previous month and were down by 2.3 percent on year-on-year basis, amounting to 459,000 metric tons. 50.8 percent of shipments were made to the domestic market, while the remaining 49.2 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 increased by 10.7 percent from the previous month to 757,000 metric tons and were up 0.4 percent year on year. 74.8 percent of inventories were held by steel manufacturers, while 25.2 percent were held by steel traders.
In August, Japan's CR sheet and strip production amounted to 532,000 mt, up 3.9 percent month on month and increasing 3.7 percent year on year.