In March this year, Japan's cold rolled plate and sheet shipments increased by 22.6 percent compared to the previous month but decreased by 3.8 percent on year-on-year basis, amounting to 584,584 metric tons. 52.3 percent of shipments were made to the domestic market, while the remaining 47.7 percent were made to the export markets, according to the Japan Iron and Steel Federation (JISF) data.
Meanwhile, in March, Japan's CR sheet and strip inventories decreased by 3.9 percent from the previous month to 701,367 metric tons but were up 5.1 percent year on year. 70 percent of inventories were held by steel manufacturers, while 30 percent were held by steel traders.
The domestic price for CR sheet and strip in Japan in March this year was JPY 77,000/mt ($642/mt), down JPY 200/mt ($1.7/mt) compared to March 2014.
In the given month, Japan's CR plate and sheet production amounted to 556,246 mt, up 22.6 percent month on month and decreasing 9.8 percent year on year.
$1 = JPY 120