In April this year, Japan’s cold rolled sheet and strip shipments decreased by 24.5 percent compared to the previous month and declined by 15.4 percent on year-on-year basis, amounting to 334,013 metric tons. 57.2 percent of shipments were made to the domestic market, while the remaining 42.8 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 fell by 0.9 percent compared to the previous month, totaling 688,398 metric tons, and were down by 15.5 percent year on year. 71.9 percent of inventories were held by steel manufacturers, while 28.1 percent were held by steel traders.
In April, Japan’s CR sheet and strip production amounted to 327,948 mt, down by 19.4 percent month on month and by 7.3 percent year on year.