Japan H-beam Demand Increases by 4% for F2012

Japanese integrated steel maker source sees Japanese H-beam demand would increase by 4% to around 2.9 million tonnes for fiscal 2012 starting in April from fiscal 2011. The demand would be less than 3 million tonnes for 4 years in a row. The source sees the demand increase is due to delay of construction schedule after the major earthquake. The source sees H-beam demand is limited from rebuilding activity in the quake disaster area when the current rebuilding activity is mainly for civil engineering.

The integrated steel source sees the steel demand increases by 4% to 4.5 million tonnes for steel structured building for fiscal 2012 from fiscal 2011. Large scale construction projects launch around Tokyo but the demand is weak for other areas.

The source sees the H-beam demand would be around 2.8 million tonnes for fiscal 2011. The steel demand would be slightly more than 4.3 million tonnes for steel structured building. H-beam demand decreased to around 2.6 million tonnes in fiscal 2009 from the 6.9 million tonnes of the peak in fiscal 1990. The demand gradually increased compared with the level in fiscal 2009. However, the demand remains low level.