In July this year, Japan’s cold rolled sheet and strip shipments moved up by 22.7 percent compared to the previous month and by 4.8 percent on year-on-year basis, amounting to 429,082 metric tons. 47.6 percent of shipments were made to the domestic market, while the remaining 52.4 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 decreased by 2.9 percent compared to the previous month, totaling 664,750 metric tons, and were up by 1.0 percent year on year. 72.9 percent of inventories were held by steel manufacturers, while 27.1 percent were held by steel traders.
In July, Japan’s CR sheet and strip production amounted to 409,428 mt, up by 12.5 percent month on month and down by 1.2 percent year on year.