In January this year, Japan’s cold rolled sheet and strip shipments moved up by 7.2 percent compared to the previous month and went up by 1.7 percent on year-on-year basis, amounting to 391,845 metric tons. 51.1 percent of shipments were made to the domestic market, while the remaining 48.9 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 5.3 percent compared to the previous month, totaling 674,189 metric tons, and were up by 4.9 percent year on year. 73.8 percent of inventories were held by steel manufacturers, while 26.2 percent were held by steel traders.
In January, Japan’s CR sheet and strip production amounted to 425,942 mt, up by 30.8 percent month on month and by 2.9 percent year on year.