In the first half of this year, Japan's cold rolled sheet and strip shipments decreased by 1.9 percent on year-on-year basis, according to the Japan Iron and Steel Federation (JISF) data. The country's CR sheet and strip shipments amounted to 3.26 million metric tons in the first half, while 48 percent of shipments were made to the domestic market and the remaining 52 percent were made to the export markets.
Meanwhile, in June this year, Japan's CR sheet and strip inventories decreased by 2.1 percent from the previous month, to 654,449 metric tons, and were down 2.4 percent year on year. 70 percent of inventories were held by steel manufacturers, while 30 percent were held by steel traders.
The average domestic price for CR sheet and strip in Japan in the first half of this year was JPY 78,000/mt ($794/mt), down JPY 4,000/mt ($41/mt) compared to the first half average of the previous year.
In the period in question, Japan's CR sheet and strip output totaled 3.25 million metric tons, decreasing by 2.4 percent year on year.