In June this year, Japan’s cold rolled sheet and strip shipments increased by 7.7 percent compared to the previous month and rose by 16.1 percent on year-on-year basis, amounting to 431,608 metric tons. 44.9 percent of shipments were made to the domestic market, while the remaining 55.1 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 12.5 percent compared to the previous month, totaling 624,621 metric tons, and were down by 26.8 percent year on year. 68.4 percent of inventories were held by steel manufacturers, while 31.6 percent were held by steel traders.
In June, Japan’s CR sheet and strip production amounted to 342,169 mt, down by 19.8 percent month on month and by 8.3 percent year on year.