In August this year, Japan’s cold rolled sheet and strip shipments increased by 6.6 percent compared to the previous month and by 7.3 percent on year-on-year basis, amounting to 410,574 metric tons. 41.3 percent of shipments were made to the domestic market, while the remaining 58.7 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 3.4 percent compared to the previous month, totaling 680,125 metric tons, and were down by 14.1 percent year on year. 74.4 percent of inventories were held by steel manufacturers, while 25.6 percent were held by steel traders.
In August, Japan’s CR sheet and strip production amounted to 433,242 mt, up by 4.6 percent month on month and by 10.9 percent year on year.