Japan’s crude steel production declined by 4.2% y-o-y to 8.06 million tonnes (mnt) in May 2022, as per data released by the Japan Iron and Steel Federation (JISF). However, the daily production increased by 10,000 tonnes (t) against the previous month. The shortage of semiconductors kept steel demand sluggish from the automobile industry.
In May, steel output from blast furnace (BF) fell by 6.3% y-o-y to 5.93 mnt, while that from electric arc furnace (EAF) rose 2% y-o-y to 2.13 mnt due to stable demand for construction steel.
Production volumes for ordinary steel were recorded at 6.28 mnt in May, down 2.6% from the previous year. Special steel production also decreased by 9.4% y-o-y to 1.77 mnt.
Japan’s HRC production was down marginally by 1.8% y-o-y to 6.96 mnt in the month under review.
During January-May 2022, cumulative crude steel production decreased by 3.5% to 38.55 mnt against the same period last year.
Note: This article has been published in accordance with an article exchange agreement between Japan Metal Daily and SteelMint.
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