According to data released by the Japan Iron and Steel Federation (JISF), Japan’s shipments of cold rolled (CR) sheets and strips totaled 1.64 million tons in the first quarter of this year, rising by 9.2% from a quarter ago but falling by 3.3% year on year. Among them, 48% of the shipments were made to the domestic markets while the remaining 52% were to export markets.
In March alone, Japan’s shipments of CR sheets and strips totaled 599,110 tons, down by 6.9% year on year while rising by 12% from a month earlier. Meanwhile, the country’s inventories of CR sheets and strips totaled 645,153 tons in March, down by 1% month on month and decreasing by 5.6% year on year. 68% of the inventories were hold by the steelmakers and the remaining 32% were held by the steel traders.