In February this year, Japan’s cold rolled sheet and strip shipments moved up by 3.6 percent compared to the previous month and went down by 4.4 percent on year-on-year basis, amounting to 362,409 metric tons. 51.1 percent of shipments were made to the domestic market, while the remaining 48.9 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 5.1 percent compared to the previous month, totaling 742,820 metric tons, and were up by 1.7 percent year on year. 73.0 percent of inventories were held by steel manufacturers, while 27.0 percent were held by steel traders.
In February, Japan’s CR sheet and strip production amounted to 398,208 mt, down by 11.8 percent month on month and up by 9.6 percent year on year.