Japan's galvanized sheet output down slightly in 2013

Last year, Japan's galvanized sheet output amounted to 11.86 million mt, down 0.4 percent compared to 2012, according to data from the Japan Iron and Steel Federation (JISF). Meanwhile, in December the country's galvanized sheet output increased by 3.75 percent compared to November and was up 13.61 percent year on year, amounting to 1.03 million mt.
 
In 2013, Japan's galvanized sheet shipments decreased by 0.5 percent year on year to 11.88 million metric tons, while 69 percent of shipments were made to the domestic market and the remaining 31 percent were made to the export markets. In December last year, Japan's galvanized sheet shipments amounted to 1.02 million mt, increasing by 0.77 percent compared to November and up 13.07 percent from the same month in 2012.
 
Meanwhile, in December Japan's galvanized sheet inventories rose 0.7 percent month on month to 961,909 metric tons, and were down 3.03 percent year on year. 70 percent of inventories were held by steel manufacturers, while 30 percent were held by steel traders.