In December last year, Japanese crude steel production was up 0.9 percent compared to the previous month and fell by 2.7 percent compared to December of the previous year, totaling 7.78 million mt, according to the data released by the Japan Iron and Steel Federation (JISF).
In December, Japan’s crude steel production from basic oxygen furnaces increased by 3.8 percent month on month and was down by 5.6 percent year on year to 5.94 million mt, while production from electric arc furnaces decreased by 7.5 percent month on month and was down by 15.1 percent year on year to 1.85 million mt.
Last year, the country's crude steel production came to 99.28 million metric tons, falling by 4.8 percent year on year. In 2019, Japan’s crude steel production from basic oxygen furnaces decreased by 4.2 percent year on year to 75 million mt, while production from electric arc furnaces declined by 6.9 percent year on year to 24.3 million mt.
The production volume of some steel products in Japan can be seen in the chart below:
|
Product |
December 2019 (mt) |
M-o-m change (%) |
Y-o-y change (%) |
|
Hot rolled section |
405,800 |
-10.2 |
-15 |
|
Bar |
684,300 |
-8 |
-11.1 |
|
Wire rod |
120,900 |
6 |
-15.45 |
|
Heavy plate |
703,700 |
-11.6 |
-24 |
|
Hot rolled wide strip |
3,174,000 |
1.1 |
-5.2 |
|
Cold rolled wide strip |
1,301,700 |
-4.1 |
-12.4 |
|
Galvanized sheet |
759,100 |
-5.7 |
-13.2 |
|
Welded pipe |
287,000 |
-3.2 |
-16.2 |