In December last year, Japan’s cold rolled sheet and strip shipments rose by 8.9 percent compared to the previous month and declined by 13.3 percent on year-on-year basis, amounting to 407,743 metric tons. 51.6 percent of shipments were made to the domestic market, while the remaining 48.4 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 dropped by 5.6 percent compared to the previous month, totaling 708,976 metric tons, and were down by 14.8 percent year on year. 73.1 percent of inventories were held by steel manufacturers, while 26.9 percent were held by steel traders.
In December last year, Japan’s CR sheet and strip production amounted to 366,047 mt, moving up by 2.6 percent month on month and falling by 16.5 percent year on year.