In July this year, Japan's hot rolled plate and sheet shipments increased by 1.8 percent compared to the previous month and were down by 20.7 percent compared to the same month of 2019, amounting to 686,000 metric tons. 72 percent of shipments were made to the domestic market, while the remaining 28 percent were made to the export markets, according to the Japan Iron and Steel Federation (JISF) data. In July, Japan's hot rolled plate and sheet production amounted to 641,000 mt, falling by 3.7 percent month on month and down by 23 percent year on year.
Meanwhile, in July, Japan's hot rolled strip shipments amounted to 1.14 million mt, rising by 27.6 percent from the previous month and falling by 25.1 percent year on year. 22 percent of shipments were made to the domestic market, while the remaining 78 percent were made to the export markets. In the given month, Japan's hot rolled strip production amounted to 1.07 million mt, increasing by 7.4 percent month on month and down by 23.4 percent year on year.