In August this year, Japan’s cold rolled sheet and strip shipments moved down by 20.1 percent compared to the previous month and by 16.5 percent on year-on-year basis, amounting to 341,926 metric tons. 44.1 percent of shipments were made to the domestic market, while the remaining 55.9 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 9.7 percent compared to the previous month, totaling 732,033 metric tons, and were up by 7.6 percent year on year. 75.2 percent of inventories were held by steel manufacturers, while 24.8 percent were held by steel traders.
In August, Japan’s CR sheet and strip production amounted to 406,559 mt, down by 1.1 percent month on month and by 5.9 percent year on year.