In February this year, Japan’s cold rolled sheet and strip shipments moved up by 2.6 percent compared to the previous month and went up by eight percent on year-on-year basis, amounting to 395,090 metric tons. 46.8 percent of shipments were made to the domestic market, while the remaining 53.2 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 decreased by 3.9 percent compared to the previous month, totaling 616,735 metric tons, and were down by 17.0 percent year on year. 72.9 percent of inventories were held by steel manufacturers, while 27.1 percent were held by steel traders.
In February, Japan’s CR sheet and strip production amounted to 369,594 mt, down by 10.6 percent month on month and down by eight percent year on year.