In September this year, Japan’s cold rolled sheet and strip shipments moved up by 27.2 percent compared to the previous month and by 6.9 percent on year-on-year basis, amounting to 437,430 metric tons. 38.7 percent of shipments were made to the domestic market, while the remaining 61.3 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 decreased by 6.5 percent compared to the previous month, totaling 680,324 metric tons, and were up by 5.5 percent year on year. 71.8 percent of inventories were held by steel manufacturers, while 28.2 percent were held by steel traders.
In September, Japan’s CR sheet and strip production amounted to 390,104 mt, down by 3.5 percent month on month and up by 4.5 percent year on year.