In December last year, Japan's hot rolled plate and sheet shipments decreased by 9.9 percent compared to the previous month and were down by 4.4 percent compared to the same month of 2015, amounting to 778,000 metric tons. 74.5 percent of shipments were made to the domestic market, while the remaining 25.5 percent were made to the export markets, according to the Japan Iron and Steel Federation (JISF) data.
In December, Japan's hot rolled plate and sheet production amounted to 781,000 mt, down 5.2 percent month on month and falling 3.6 percent year on year.
Meanwhile, in December, Japan's hot rolled strip shipments amounted to 1.46 million mt, up 0.9 percent from the previous month and falling by 6.2 percent year on year. 25.1 percent of shipments were made to the domestic market, while the remaining 74.9 percent were made to the export markets. In the given month, Japan's hot rolled strip production amounted to 1.37 million mt, decreasing by 7.3 percent month on month and down by 10.4 percent year on year.