In June this year, Japan's hot rolled plate and sheet shipments decreased by 10.22 percent compared to May and were down 7.11 percent on year-on-year basis, amounting to 796,581 metric tons. 79 percent of shipments were made to the domestic market, while the remaining 21 percent were made to the export markets, according to the Japan Iron and Steel Federation (JISF) data. In June, Japan's hot rolled plate and sheet production amounted to 891,796 mt, up 1.98 percent month on month and up 6.37 percent year on year.
In June, Japan's hot rolled strip shipments amounted to 1.49 million mt, up 2.98 percent from May and increasing by 10.15 percent year on year. 29 percent of shipments were made to the domestic market, while the remaining 71 percent were made to the export markets. In June, Japan's hot rolled strip production amounted to 1.41 million mt, down 3.57 percent month on month and decreasing by 1.89 percent year on year.
Meanwhile, the average domestic price for HR plate and sheet in Japan in June was JPY 81,000/mt (approx. $777/mt), unchanged from the previous month and up by JPY 6,000/mt (approx. $58/mt) compared with the same month of 2013.
The average domestic price for HR strip in the month in question was JPY 68,000/mt (approx. $653/mt), down by JPY1,000/mt (approx. $9.6/mt) from the previous month and up by JPY 5,000/mt (approx. $48/mt) compared with the same month of 2013.
