In April this year, Japan’s hot rolled plate and sheet shipments declined by 13.9 percent compared to the previous month and were down by 3.3 percent from 749,288 mt recorded in the same month of 2022, amounting to 724,467 metric tons, according to the Japan Iron and Steel Federation (JISF) data. In the given month. 68.4 percent of shipments were made to the domestic market, while the remaining 31.6 percent were made to the export markets. In the given month, Japan’s hot rolled plate and sheet production amounted to 714,757 mt, decreasing by 12.7 percent month on month and 7.5 percent year on year.
Meanwhile, in April Japan’s hot rolled strip shipments amounted to 1.34 million mt, moving down by 6.4 percent from the previous month and increasing by 4.0 percent year on year. 18.6 percent of shipments were made to the domestic market, while the remaining 81.4 percent were made to the export markets. In the given month, Japan’s hot rolled strip production amounted to 1.31 million mt, down by 11.4 percent month on month and by 4.1 percent year on year.