In December 2009, Japanese cold rolled sheet output reached the highest level achieved since September 2008, following a month-on-month increase of over nine percent.
According to the Japan Iron and Steel Federation (JISF) data, in December 2009 Japan's cold rolled sheet and strip output totaled 642,000 metric tons, increasing by 9.74 percent over November and up 55.02 percent year on year.
Meanwhile, total Japanese shipments of CR sheet and strip in December 2009 amounted to 628,000 metric tons, up 7.49 percent month on month and up 45.08 percent over December 2008. During the month in question, 50.16 percent of shipments were made to the domestic market, while the remaining 49.84 percent were made to the export markets.
In December, Japan's CR sheet and strip inventories increased by 2.3 percent over the previous month, reaching 627,000 metric tons, but were down 6.39 percent year on year. 73.65 percent of inventories were held by steel manufacturers, while 26.35 percent were held by steel traders.
The average domestic price for CR sheet and strip in Japan in December was JPY 77,000/mt ($850/mt), remaining unchanged compared to November, but down 27.36 percent year on year.
On the other hand, in 2009 Japanese CR sheet and strip production has generally shown a steady rising trend, beginning from February, despite decreases recorded in the months of April and November. In 2009, Japan's total CR sheet and strip output totaled 5.55 million metric tons, decreasing by 21.42 percent, while its shipments of the products in question amounted to 5.59 million metric tons, down 20.76 percent, both compared to 2008.
