Japan’s output of rolled copper products in 2019 dropped by 5.9pc from the previous year on sluggish domestic and global demand.
Japan produced 404,978mt of rolled copper products in 2019, down from 430,238mt in the prior year on weak global demand for semiconductors and a drop in China’s automobile sales. Output of brass products also fell by 9.2pc to 310,551mt from 341,909mt in 2018.
Japan produced 753,005mt of copper and copper alloy products in 2019, in-line with Japan’s brass and copper association’s prediction that production will be below 800,000mt for the first time in three years.
In Dec 2019, Japan produced 32,172mt of rolled copper products, down by 6.6pc from a year ago. Production of copper strips fell by 7.9pc, from 21,357mt to 19,661mt and output of copper tubes fell by 7.2pc, from 9,346mt to 8,671mt.
Copper rods output also fell by 8.5pc, from 2,108mt to 1,928mt and copper wires production declined by 18pc, from 305mt to 250mt, on a low demand from the electric, automotive and construction sectors. Output of copper sheets, however, rose by 25pc, from 1,330mt to 1,662mt.
Brass product output also fell in Dec 2019, by 9.3pc to 24,921mt from a year ago. Output of brass strips, tubes, rods and wires fell by 15.8pc, 11.5pc, 5.5pc and 13.3pc respectively. Production of brass sheets, however, rose by 11.5pc from a year ago.