In May this year, Japan's cold rolled sheet and strip shipments increased by 19 percent month on month and were up by three 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 581,489 metric tons in May, the highest level since March 2012, while 44.5 percent of shipments were made to the domestic market and the remaining 55.5 percent were made to the export markets.
Meanwhile, in May, Japan's CR sheet and strip inventories decreased by 2.1 percent from the previous month, to 668,324 metric tons, and were up 1.2 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 May was JPY 78,000/mt ($773.5/mt), remaining unchanged from the previous month and down JPY 4,000/mt ($40/mt) year on year.
In the month in question, Japan's CR sheet and strip output totaled 566,959 metric tons, increasing by 7.7 percent over April and up 2.7 percent year on year.
