In May this year, Japan’s cold rolled sheet and strip shipments increased by 6.4 percent compared to the previous month and were up by 47.1 percent on year-on-year basis, amounting to 424,941 metric tons. 51 percent of shipments were made to the domestic market, while the remaining 49 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 5.1 percent compared to the previous month totaling 802,287 metric tons and were up by 2.0 percent year on year. 78 percent of inventories were held by steel manufacturers, while 22 percent were held by steel traders.
In May, Japan’s CR sheet and strip production amounted to 464,213 mt, up 0.5 percent month on month and increasing 60.2 percent year on year.