In April this year, Japan’s hot rolled plate and sheet shipments declined by 14.5 percent compared to the previous month and rose by 3.3 percent compared to the same month of 2021, amounting to 749,046 metric tons. 75.5 percent of shipments were made to the domestic market, while the remaining 24.5 percent were made to the export markets, according to the Japan Iron and Steel Federation (JISF) data. In the given month, Japan’s hot rolled plate and sheet production amounted to 773,088 mt, dropping by 8.7 percent month on month and advancing by 9.2 percent year on year.
Meanwhile, in April Japan’s hot rolled strip shipments amounted to 1.25 million mt, dropping by 14.7 percent from the previous month and rising by 7.3 percent year on year. 16.9 percent of shipments were made to the domestic market, while the remaining 83.1 percent were made to the export markets. In the given month, Japan’s hot rolled strip production amounted to 1.36 million mt, decreasing by 1.6 percent month on month and increasing by 4.5 percent year on year.