In July this year, Japan’s cold rolled sheet and strip shipments increased by 14.3 percent compared to the previous month and dropped by 11.8 percent on year-on-year basis, amounting to 424,575 metric tons. 52.5 percent of shipments were made to the domestic market, while the remaining 47.5 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 declined by 8.2 percent compared to the previous month, totaling 783,668 metric tons, and were up by 0.7 percent year on year. 72.8 percent of inventories were held by steel manufacturers, while 27.2 percent were held by steel traders.
In July, Japan’s CR sheet and strip production amounted to 354,772 mt, moving down by 4.8 percent month on month and by 24.5 percent year on year.