In January this year, Japan’s cold rolled sheet and strip shipments moved down by 12.6 percent compared to the previous month and by 1.8 percent on year-on-year basis, amounting to 350,680 metric tons. 48.6 percent of shipments were made to the domestic market, while the remaining 51.4 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 17.1 percent compared to the previous month, totaling 708,729 metric tons, and were down by 5.0 percent year on year. 72.9 percent of inventories were held by steel manufacturers, while 27.1 percent were held by steel traders.
In January, Japan’s CR sheet and strip production amounted to 454,017 mt, up by 19.6 percent month on month and up by 3.9 percent year on year.