In December last year, Japanese crude steel production was down by 3.8 percent compared to the previous month and by 13.1 percent compared to December 2021, totaling 6.90 million mt, according to the data released by the Japan Iron and Steel Federation (JISF).
Meanwhile, in the given month Japan’s pig iron production totaled 5.06 million metric tons, declining by 0.8 percent compared to the previous month and by 14.3 percent year on year.
In the full year, the country’s pig iron output stood at 64.15 million metric tons, down by 8.8 percent, while its crude steel production came to 89.23 million metric tons, falling by 7.4 percent, both on year-on-year basis.
The production volume of some steel products in Japan can be seen in the chart below:
Product |
December 2022 (mt) |
M-o-m change (%) |
Y-o-y change (%) |
Hot rolled section |
394,700 |
-8.6 |
-11.3 |
Bar |
632,300 |
-11.9 |
-5.8 |
Wire rod |
102,500 |
-3.7 |
-23.8 |
Heavy plate |
679,900 |
-12.3 |
-14.3 |
Hot rolled wide strip |
2,832,300 |
-3.4 |
-13.5 |
Cold rolled wide strip |
1,137,600 |
-0.8 |
-15.3 |
Galvanized sheet |
690,700 |
-2.4 |
-11.5 |
Welded pipe |
237,100 |
-13.6 |
-15.9 |