In April of this year, shipments of cold-rolled rolled products and strips to Japan decreased by 14.8 percent compared to the previous month and 0.3 percent year-on-year, amounting to 347,530 metric tons. 56.5 percent of shipments were made to the domestic market, and the remaining 43.5 percent were made to export markets, according to Japanese Federation of Ferrous Metallurgy (JISF).
Meanwhile, Japan's inventory of sheets and strips decreased by 1.7 percent this month from the previous month to 640,200 metric tons, and decreased by 3.1 percent year-on-year. 74.0 percent of the reserves belonged to steel producers, while 26.0 percent belonged to steel merchants.
In April, Japan's production of sheets and strips totaled 336,307 tons, down 11.8 percent month-on-month and down 14.6 percent year-on-year.
