Japan’s galvanized sheet shipments down nine percent in 2011

In December last year, Japan's galvanized sheet shipments amounted to 981,405 metric tons, increasing by three percent on month-on-month basis and decreasing by 0.5 percent compared to December in the previous year, according to the Japan Iron and Steel Federation (JISF) data. 67 percent of the country's galvanized sheet shipments in December last year were made to the domestic market, while the remaining 33 percent were made to the export markets.
 
In 2011, Japanese galvanized sheet shipments totaled 11.85 million mt, decreasing nine percent compared to 2010. 63 percent of the country's galvanized sheet shipments in 2011 were made to the domestic market, while the remaining 37 percent were made to the export markets.
 
Meanwhile, in December, Japan's galvanized sheet inventories decreased by six percent from the previous month, falling to 1 million metric tons, and were up two percent year on year. 60 percent of inventories were held by steel manufacturers, while 40 percent were held by steel traders.
 
The average domestic price for galvanized sheet in Japan in December 2011 was JPY 103,000/mt (approx. $1,336/mt), remaining unchanged compared to the previous month and up one percent year on year from JPY 102,000/mt.
 
In the month in question, Japan's galvanized sheet output totaled 919,764 metric tons, decreasing by seven percent from the previous month and down eight percent year on year. In the whole of 2011, Japan produced 11.86 million mt galvanized sheet, falling 10 percent from the previous year.