In November last year, Japan’s cold rolled sheet and strip shipments increased by 11.4 percent compared to the previous month and were down by 5.5 percent on year-on-year basis, amounting to 416,880 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 2.6 percent compared to the previous month totaling 705,549 metric tons and were down by 13.9 percent year on year. 77 percent of inventories were held by steel manufacturers, while 23 percent were held by steel traders.
In November, Japan’s CR sheet and strip production amounted to 433,824 mt, up 15.7 percent month on month and increasing 1.4 percent year on year.