In February this year, Japan’s cold rolled sheet and strip shipments rose by 5.6 percent compared to the previous month and declined by 3.1 percent on year-on-year basis, amounting to 377,039 metric tons. 51.8 percent of shipments were made to the domestic market, while the remaining 48.2 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 fell by 2.2 percent compared to the previous month, totaling 729,301 metric tons, and were down by 16.4 percent year on year. 72.8 percent of inventories were held by steel manufacturers, while 27.2 percent were held by steel traders.
In February, Japan’s CR sheet and strip production amounted to 360,284 mt, moving down by 7.5 percent month on month and by 11.5 percent year on year.
