In May this year, Japan’s hot rolled plate and sheet shipments declined by 2.8 percent compared to the previous month and rose by 12.8 percent compared to the same month of 2021, amounting to 728,308 metric tons. 71.7 percent of shipments were made to the domestic market, while the remaining 28.3 percent were made to the export markets, according to the Japan Iron and Steel Federation (JISF) data. In the given month, Japan’s hot rolled plate and sheet production amounted to 754,782 mt, dropping by 2.4 percent month on month and advancing by 1.4 percent year on year.
Meanwhile, in May Japan’s hot rolled strip shipments amounted to 1.48 million mt, rising by 17.7 percent from the previous month and by 6.4 percent year on year. 17.1 percent of shipments were made to the domestic market, while the remaining 82.9 percent were made to the export markets. In the given month, Japan’s hot rolled strip production amounted to 1.57 million mt, moving up by 14.6 percent month on month and by 7.1 percent year on year.