Japanese rolled copper production decreased by 6.8% to 68,550 tonnes in September from a year earlier, which decreased for 4 months in a row, announced by Japan Copper and Brass Association on Wednesday. The production decrease got wider for 3 months in a row when the production of brass bar and copper tube turned into decrease after the gain for near 2 years. The brass strip output increased for the first time in a year.
The brass bar output decreased by 4.9% to 15,880 tonnes in September from a year earlier while the production increased for 21 months in a row through August. The production decreased by 8.6% from July level. The copper tube output decreased by 6.3% to 10,372 tonnes in September from a year earlier, which decreased for the first time in 20 months. The copper strip output decreased by 10.7% to 19,630 tonnes in September from a year earlier. The bronze flat and strop products’ output decreased by 21.1% to 3,306 tonnes. The brass strip output increased by 2.0% to 9,715 tonnes after decreases for 11 months in a row through August.