In March this year, Japan's hot rolled plate and sheet shipments increased by 8.2 percent compared to the previous month and were down by 7.6 percent compared to the same month last year, amounting to 886,000 metric tons. 74.5 percent of shipments were made to the domestic market, while the remaining 25.5 percent were made to the export markets, according to the Japan Iron and Steel Federation (JISF) data.
In March of the current year, Japan's hot rolled plate and sheet production amounted to 843,000 mt, up 7.6 percent month on month and declining by 6.5 percent year on year.
Meanwhile, in March, Japan's hot rolled strip shipments amounted to 1.71 million mt, up 17.9 percent from the previous month and falling by four percent year on year. 22.7 percent of shipments were made to the domestic market, while the remaining 77.3 percent were made to the export markets. In the given month, Japan's hot rolled strip production amounted to 1.63 million mt, rising by 12.5 percent month on month and down by 9.4 percent year on year.