In April this year, Japan's hot rolled plate and sheet shipments decreased by 9.6 percent compared to the previous month and were down by 6.7 percent compared to the same month last year, amounting to 804,000 metric tons. 75.2 percent of shipments were made to the domestic market, while the remaining 24.8 percent were made to the export markets, according to the Japan Iron and Steel Federation (JISF) data.
In April of the current year, Japan's hot rolled plate and sheet production amounted to 852,000 mt, up 1.2 percent month on month and rising by 0.8 percent year on year.
Meanwhile, in April, Japan's hot rolled strip shipments amounted to 1.47 million mt, down 14.5 percent from the previous month and rising by 1.09 percent year on year. 21.2 percent of shipments were made to the domestic market, while the remaining 78.8 percent were made to the export markets. In the given month, Japan's hot rolled strip production amounted to 1.52 million mt, dropping by 6.3 percent month on month and up by 5.5 percent year on year.