In March this year, Japan’s cold rolled sheet and strip shipments increased by 17.1 percent compared to the previous month and were up by 2.7 percent on year-on-year basis, amounting to 516,430 metric tons. 54 percent of shipments were made to the domestic market, while the remaining 46 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 2.3 percent compared to the previous month totaling 701,142 metric tons and were down by 13.5 percent year on year. 78 percent of inventories were held by steel manufacturers, while 22 percent were held by steel traders.
In March, Japan’s CR sheet and strip production amounted to 499,554 mt, up 16.4 percent month on month and increasing two percent year on year.