Last December, shipments of cold-rolled sheet and strip to Japan rose 2.1 percent month-on-month and 7.6 percent year-on-year to 325,800 metric tons. 52.4 percent of shipments were made to the domestic market, while the remaining 47.6 percent were made to export markets, according to data from the Japan Iron and Steel Federation (JISF).
Meanwhile, sheet and strip inventories in Japan fell 5.9 percent this month from the previous month to 639,521 metric tons, and increased 4.2 percent year-on-year. 72.7 percent of inventories were held by steel producers and 27.3 percent by steel traders.
Japan's production of sheets and strip in December totaled 325,800 tons, down 13.2 percent month-on-month and 4.2 percent year-on-year.
