In March this year, Japan’s cold rolled sheet and strip shipments moved up by 19.7 percent compared to the previous month and down by 2.7 percent on year-on-year basis, amounting to 407,826 metric tons. 51.9 percent of shipments were made to the domestic market, while the remaining 48.1 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 by 4.6 percent compared to the previous month, totaling 647,044 metric tons, and were up by 4.5 percent year on year. 73.0 percent of inventories were held by steel manufacturers, while 27.0 percent were held by steel traders.
In March, Japan’s CR sheet and strip production amounted to 376,896 mt, up by 10.2 percent month on month and down by 10.5 percent year on year.