In January this year, Japan’s cold rolled sheet and strip shipments decreased by 6.4 percent compared to the previous month and were up by 10.57 percent on year-on-year basis, amounting to 440,088 metric tons. 44.98 percent of shipments were made to the domestic market, while the remaining 55.02 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 2.12 percent compared to the previous month totaling 849,496 metric tons and were up by 9.12 percent year on year. 74.36 percent of inventories were held by steel manufacturers, while 25.64 percent were held by steel traders.
In January, Japan’s CR sheet and strip production amounted to 457,776 mt, up 4.47 percent month on month and 4.64 percent year on year.