According to the Japan Iron and Steel Federation (JISF) data, in August this year Japan's wide flange beam output totaled 231,477 metric tons, decreasing by 7.7 percent over July and down 21.83 percent year on year. August was the third straight month in which a month-on-month decrease was recorded.
Meanwhile, total Japanese shipments of wide flange beam in August amounted to 245,056 metric tons, falling by 10.27 percent month on month and down by 7.49 percent over August 2009. During the month in question, 87.41 percent of shipments were made to the domestic market, while the remaining 12.59 percent were made to the export markets.
In August, Japan's wide flange beam inventories decreased by 5.2 percent over the previous month, reaching 247,793 metric tons and were down 0.65 percent year on year. 67.63 percent of inventories were held by steel manufacturers, while 32.37 percent were held by steel traders.
The average domestic price for galvanized sheet in Japan in August was JPY 72,000/mt ($878/mt), falling by JPY1,000/mt as compared to the previous month and down 4.35 percent year on year.