In May this year, Japan’s cold rolled sheet and strip shipments increased by 18.3 percent compared to the previous month and declined by 5.2 percent on year-on-year basis, amounting to 393,432 metric tons. 47.8 percent of shipments were made to the domestic market, while the remaining 52.2 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 4.0 percent compared to the previous month, totaling 716,094 metric tons, and were down by 16.0 percent year on year. 73.9 percent of inventories were held by steel manufacturers, while 26.1 percent were held by steel traders.
In May, Japan’s CR sheet and strip production amounted to 421,224 mt, up by 29.1 percent month on month and down by 7.0 percent year on year.