In December last year, Japan's hot rolled plate and sheet shipments increased by 0.8 percent compared to the previous month and were down by 9.1 percent compared to the same month of 2018, amounting to 783,000 metric tons. 70.9 percent of shipments were made to the domestic market, while the remaining 29.1 percent were made to the export markets, according to the Japan Iron and Steel Federation (JISF) data. Meanwhile, in December, Japan's hot rolled plate and sheet production amounted to 696,000 mt, down 11.3 percent month on month and down 23.2 percent year on year.
Meanwhile, in December, Japan's hot rolled strip shipments amounted to 1.44 million mt, up by 13.2 percent from the previous month and rising by 15.9 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, increasing by 8.5 percent month on month and up by 15.5 percent year on year.