In April this year, Japan's hot rolled plate and sheet shipments decreased by 0.7 percent compared to the previous month and were up by 23 percent compared to the same month of 2017, amounting to 843,000 metric tons. 77.8 percent of shipments were made to the domestic market, while the remaining 22.3 percent were made to the export markets, according to the Japan Iron and Steel Federation (JISF) data. Meanwhile, in April, Japan's hot rolled plate and sheet production amounted to 855,000 mt, up 5.8 percent month on month and 20.2 percent year on year.
Meanwhile, in April, Japan's hot rolled strip shipments amounted to 1.39 million mt, down 5.1 percent from the previous month and falling by 0.9 percent year on year. 38.7 percent of shipments were made to the domestic market, while the remaining 61.2 percent were made to the export markets. In the given month, Japan's hot rolled strip production amounted to 1.28 million mt, decreasing by 14.7 percent month on month and down by 8.8 percent year on year.