In May this year, Japan’s cold rolled sheet and strip shipments moved up by 8.1 percent compared to the previous month and went down by 0.5 percent on year-on-year basis, amounting to 391,557 metric tons. 47.9 percent of shipments were made to the domestic market, while the remaining 52.1 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 1.6 percent compared to the previous month, totaling 668,038 metric tons, and were down by 6.8 percent year on year. 71.1 percent of inventories were held by steel manufacturers, while 28.9 percent were held by steel traders.
In May, Japan’s CR sheet and strip production amounted to 355,688 mt, up by 7.0 percent month on month and decreasing by 9.9 percent year on year.