In February this year, Japan’s cold rolled sheet and strip shipments increased by 10.7 percent compared to the previous month and were up by 2.6 percent on year-on-year basis, amounting to 440,528 metric tons. 49.7 percent of shipments were made to the domestic market, while the remaining 50.3 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 decreased 1.7 percent compared to the previous month totaling 717,367 metric tons and were down by 12.9 percent year on year. 78.6 percent of inventories were held by steel manufacturers, while 21.4 percent were held by steel traders.
In February, Japan’s CR sheet and strip production amounted to 427,956 mt, down 2.2 percent month on month and decreasing 2.8 percent year on year.