February’s Crude Steel Production in Japan to be 8.88 Million Tonnes

Japan’s crude steel production in February that the Japan Iron and Steel Federation announced on Friday was 8.881 million tonnes, up 2.6% from the same month last year, which exceeded the previous year for the first time in 8 months, because it seems that each of the domestic blast furnace steel makes manufactured the crude steel products for storage before repair of blast furnaces while the makers continued to perform production decreases of steel sheets last month and that there were increases of special and strip steel production by the domestic blast and electric furnace steel makers in the month. The accumulating total from April 2005 was 130.44 million tonnes, down 0.3% on a year-over-year basis. It is likely that crude steel production in fiscal 2005, the year that ends in March 2006, will be about the same of that in fiscal 2004 of 112.9 million tonnes if the production pace in February continues this month. In the breakdown of the crude steel production by furnaces, the revolving furnace production was 6.572 million tonnes, up 2.6% from the same month last year, which increased for the first time in 5 months; the electric furnace production was 2.309 million tonnes, up 2.6%, which had increased for 3 consecutive months. As for the breakdown of the steel products, ordinary steel was 6.88 million tonnes, up 2.2%, which increased for the first time in 9 months because manufacture of strip steel products for building materials increased; on the other hand, special steel was 2.001 million tonnes, up 4.2%, which had increased for 2 consecutive months; the demand for manufacturers of automakers and construction machinery makers, etc. remained strong. Regarding steel sheet/plate production, hot coil was 3.438 million tonnes, down 5.0%, which had decreased for 9 consecutive months; steel plate was 942,000 tonnes, up 3.7% having increased for 2 consecutive months. About strip steel, flat steel and reinforcing bar production was 912,000 tonnes, up 9.3% having increased for 5 consecutive months; H-beam was 312,000 tonnes, up 12.6% having increased for 5 consecutive months. Further, every sized shape steel product had increased for 3 consecutive months.