In April this year, Japan’s hot rolled plate and sheet shipments decreased by 8.5 percent compared to the previous month and were down by 0.5 percent compared to the same month of 2020, amounting to 725,099 metric tons. 70 percent of shipments were made to the domestic market, while the remaining 30 percent were made to the export markets, according to the Japan Iron and Steel Federation (JISF) data. In April, Japan’s hot rolled plate and sheet production amounted to 707,689 mt, falling by 7.7 percent month on month and up by 2.3 percent year on year.
Meanwhile, in April, Japan’s hot rolled strip shipments amounted to 1.17 million mt, falling by 18.8 percent from the previous month and decreasing by 14.4 percent year on year. 29 percent of shipments were made to the domestic market, while the remaining 71 percent were made to the export markets. In the given month, Japan’s hot rolled strip production amounted to 1.30 million mt, decreasing by 8.6 percent month on month and up by 9.2 percent year on year.