In April this year, Japan’s cold rolled sheet and strip shipments decreased by 22.5 percent compared to the previous month and were up by 11.4 percent on year-on-year basis, amounting to 401,681 metric tons. 57 percent of shipments were made to the domestic market, while the remaining 43 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 8.5 percent compared to the previous month totaling 760,348 metric tons and were down by 3.2 percent year on year. 79 percent of inventories were held by steel manufacturers, while 21 percent were held by steel traders.
In April, Japan’s CR sheet and strip production amounted to 461,263 mt, down 7.9 percent month on month and increasing 37.7 percent year on year.