In May this year, Japan's hot rolled plate and sheet shipments increased by 3.6 percent compared to the previous month and were down by 14.7 percent compared to the same month of 2016, amounting to 686,000 metric tons. 79.6 percent of shipments were made to the domestic market, while the remaining 20.4 percent were made to the export markets, according to the Japan Iron and Steel Federation (JISF) data.
In May, Japan's hot rolled plate and sheet production amounted to 741,000 mt, up 4.2 percent month on month and falling 6.2 percent year on year.
Meanwhile, in May, Japan's hot rolled strip shipments amounted to 1.34 million mt, down 4.8 percent from the previous month and falling by 20.3 percent year on year. 31 percent of shipments were made to the domestic market, while the remaining 69 percent were made to the export markets. In the given month, Japan's hot rolled strip production amounted to 1.49 million mt, increasing by 5.4 percent month on month and down by 9.1 percent year on year.