In October this year, Japan's hot rolled plate and sheet shipments increased by 24.2 percent compared to the previous month and were up by 23.3 percent compared to the same month of 2017, amounting to 959,000 metric tons. 75.8 percent of shipments were made to the domestic market, while the remaining 24.2 percent were made to the export markets, according to the Japan Iron and Steel Federation (JISF) data. Meanwhile, in October, Japan's hot rolled plate and sheet production amounted to 828,000 mt, decreasing by 0.6 percent month on month and up by 0.7 percent year on year.
Furthermore, in October, Japan's hot rolled strip shipments amounted to 1.47 million mt, up 41.2 percent from the previous month and rising by 25.6 percent year on year. 33.6 percent of shipments were made to the domestic market, while the remaining 66.4 percent were made to the export markets. In the given month, Japan's hot rolled strip production amounted to 1.28 million mt, increasing by 5.8 percent month on month and down by 2.4 percent year on year.