Japan's steel output falls in April

Japan's crude steel production fell 1.3 percent year on year to 9.35 million metric tons in April, the Japan Iron and Steel Federation said. In addition, crude steel output indicated a 3.3 percent decline compared to the previous month. Output from converters fell 2.3 percent to 6.8 million metric tons during the same period while output from electric furnaces rose 1.5 percent to 2.6 million metric tons. Production of ordinary steel almost fell 2.1 percent to 7.3 million metric tons, while specialty steel output rose 1.5 percent to 2.1 million metric tons.