Japan’s 2018 steel output falls 0.3% on year to 104.33 million mt

28-Jan-2019

Japan’s crude steel production in 2018 decreased by 0.3% year on year to 104.33 million mt, according to the data released Wednesday by the Japan Iron & Steel Federation.

A JISF official said Thursday that steel demand has been firm but natural disasters in the second half of 2018 including torrential rain in western Japan during July, Typhoon Jebi in September and the earthquake in Hokkaido also in September, all affected production. He said the facility problems at the mills late last year also forced the overall production to be lower.

“The production during 2018 fiscal year (April 2018-March 2019) may become higher,” the JISF official said. Production by converters in 2018 was 78.23 million mt, down 1.4% year on year while those by electric arc furnace was 26.1 million mt, up 3.1% year on year. The JISF official said that both ordinary and special electric arc furnaces were producing at high levels to correspond to the firm demand from construction steel and special steel for the automobile industry.

By product, output of hot rolled coil in 2018 was 41.1 million mt, down 3.7% in the same period and small bar production was 8.57 million mt, up 0.8% year on year. Production of H-beams was 4.02 million mt, up 4.1% in the same period. according to the data.

Meanwhile, Japan’s December crude steel production was 8.47 million mt, down 2.9% from a year ago and down 2.2% from November.

Source: S&P GLOBAL PLATTS