Japan’s crude steel production dropped by 31.8pc to 5.9mn mt in May from a year ago and fell by 10pc from April, according to Japan Iron and Steel Federation (JISF) data. Pig iron production in May fell by 32.7pc to 4.4mn mt from a year ago and decreased by 10.2pc from April.
In the January to May period, Japan’s pig iron production dropped by 11.5pc to 27.73mn mt from the prior year period. On the other hand, the country’s crude steel production dipped by 13.5pc to 36.6mn mt from the prior year period.
Japan’s total hot-rolled steel production fell by 30.2pc to 5.1mn mt in May from April and declined by 11.8pc from May last year. Production of ordinary hot-rolled steel products declined by 9.4pc to 4.2mn mt in May from April and dropped by 25.7pc from May 2019. Total hot-rolled specialty steel products declined to 888,900mt in May, down by 46pc from the prior year and down by 21.7pc from the prior month.