Japan Steel Sheet Inventory Decreases in June

Japanese steel sheet inventory for domestic shipment decreased by 2.6% or 111,000 tonnes to 4.039 million tonnes at the end of June from a month ago at Japanese steel makers, distributors and coil centers belonging to Japan Coil Center Industry Association. The inventory including hot-rolled, cold-rolled and zinc coated sheet turned to the decrease again, while which increased at the end of May from a month earlier. The inventory decreased by 3.5% at the makers and by 4.7% at the dealers, though the total inventory could not reach the level at less than 4 million tonnes that Japanese integrated steel makers aimed. Integrated steels source said his firm would maintain the inventory adjustment policy to regulate the order reception volume by when the inventory become to below 4 million tonnes. The inventory decreased by 3.5% to 1.682 million tonnes at the makers at the end of June from a month ago, by 4.7% to 802,000 tonnes at the dealers and by 0.6% to 1.554 million tonnes at the coil centers belonging to JCCIA. The inventory volume at the dealers and the coil centers hit the lowest level in a year. Integrated steels aim lower inventory level at the coil centers, though the inventory tends to become high due to the active demand mainly from automobile industries. The inventory of hot-rolled steel sheet decreased by 2.7% to 2.134 million tonnes at the end of June from a month ago, the cold-rolled sheet by 4.9% to 709,000 tonnes and the zinc coated sheet by 1.1% to 1.196 million tonnes. Hot- and cold-rolled sheet inventory hit the lowest level in a year, while the inventory decrease was slower for zinc coated sheet.