In August this year, Japan’s cold rolled sheet and strip shipments decreased by 8.9 percent compared to the previous month and by 9.3 percent on year-on-year basis, amounting to 387,706 metric tons. 50.8 percent of shipments were made to the domestic market, while the remaining 49.2 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 rose by one percent compared to the previous month, totaling 790,004 metric tons, and were down by 7.2 percent year on year. 73.3 percent of inventories were held by steel manufacturers, while 26.7 percent were held by steel traders.
In August, Japan’s CR sheet and strip production amounted to 395,898 mt, moving up by 11.8 percent month on month and down by 20.8 percent year on year.