In February this year, Japan’s cold rolled sheet and strip shipments moved down by 12.2 percent compared to the previous month and by 13.1 percent on year-on-year basis, amounting to 341,822 metric tons. 53.9 percent of shipments were made to the domestic market, while the remaining 46.1 percent were made to the export markets, according to the Japan Iron and Steel Federation (JISF) data.
Meanwhile, in the given month, Japan’s CR sheet and strip inventories increased by 0.2 percent compared to the previous month, totaling 677,575 metric tons, and were up by 9.7 percent year on year. 74.4 percent of inventories were held by steel manufacturers, while 25.6 percent were held by steel traders.
In February, Japan’s CR sheet and strip production amounted to 342,811 mt, down by 19.7 percent month on month and by 6.9 percent year on year.
