In May this year, Japan’s hot rolled plate and sheet shipments were down by 3.1 percent compared to the previous month and by 3.1 percent from 672,386 mt recorded in the same month of 2025, amounting to 651,328 metric tons, according to the Japan Iron and Steel Federation (JISF) data. In the given month, 74.3 percent of shipments were made to the domestic market, while the remaining 25.7 percent were made to the export markets. In the given month, Japan’s hot rolled plate and sheet production amounted to 703,294 mt, up by 6.4 percent month on month and down by 0.9 percent year on year.
Meanwhile, in May Japan’s hot rolled strip shipments amounted to 1.32 million mt, moving up by 19.7 percent from the previous month and by 7.4 percent year on year. 23.4 percent of shipments were made to the domestic market, while the remaining 76.6 percent were made to the export markets. In the given month, Japan’s hot rolled strip production amounted to 1.34 million mt, up by 19.8 percent month on month and by 12.8 percent year on year.