In January this year, Japan’s cold rolled sheet and strip shipments moved down by 0.6 percent compared to the previous month and went up by nine percent on year-on-year basis, amounting to 381,274 metric tons. 50.5 percent of shipments were made to the domestic market, while the remaining 49.6 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 4.2 percent compared to the previous month, totaling 639,689 metric tons, and were down by 9.5 percent year on year. 72.7 percent of inventories were held by steel manufacturers, while 27.3 percent were held by steel traders. In January, Japan’s CR sheet and strip production amounted to 407,239 mt, up by 19.7 percent month on month and down by 9.8 percent year on year.