In October this year, Japan's cold rolled sheet and strip shipments increased by 35.7 percent compared to the previous month and rose by 31.8 percent the same month of 2017, amounting to 600,000 metric tons. 49.5 percent of shipments were made to the domestic market, while the remaining 50.5 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 from the previous month to 700,000 metric tons and were down 9.8 percent year on year. 74.7 percent of inventories were held by steel manufacturers, while 25.3 percent were held by steel traders.
In October, Japan's CR sheet and strip production amounted to 499,000 mt, up 3.7 percent month on month and increasing 2.9 percent year on year.