In July this year, Japanese crude steel production was down by 4.6 percent compared to the previous month and fell by 0.4 percent compared to July last year, totaling 8.4 million mt, according to the data released by the Japan Iron and Steel Federation (JISF). In the given period, Japan’s crude steel production from basic oxygen furnaces decreased by 0.9 percent month on month and was up by three percent year on year to 6.54 million mt, while production from electric arc furnaces decreased by 15.9 percent month on month and by 10.8 percent year on year to 1.84 million mt.
In the January-July period of this year, the country's crude steel production came to 59.5 million metric tons, falling by 3.1 percent year on year. In the first seven months, Japan’s crude steel production from basic oxygen furnaces decreased by 2.8 percent year on year to 44.8 million mt, while production from electric arc furnaces decreased by 4.2 percent year on year to 14.66 million mt.
In the given period, Japan’s hot rolled ordinary steel output decreased by 3.1 percent year on year to 40.8 million mt.
Despite the expectations of an increase in output in the April-July period, Japanese steel production saw a decrease in the first seven months of the current year. Due to lower output, the country is currently not aggressive in foreign markets. However, with production growth anticipated for October and November, Japan might push higher volumes to the export markets and offer competitive prices.
The production volume of some steel products in Japan can be seen in the chart below:
Product |
July 2019 (mt) |
M-o-m change (%) |
Y-o-y change (%) |
Hot rolled section |
411,800 |
-26.1 |
-14 |
Bar |
715,000 |
-13.1 |
-7.2 |
Wire rod |
141,300 |
-7.7 |
-3.4 |
Heavy plate |
865,700 |
-2.9 |
+9.2 |
Hot rolled wide strip |
3,397,900 |
-3.4 |
-0.4 |
Cold rolled wide strip |
1,475,800 |
+5.2 |
-0.5 |
Galvanized sheet |
863,300 |
+2.8 |
-3.6 |
Welded pipe |
326,000 |
+5.2 |
-3 |