Japanese rolled copper output decreased by 9.5% to 60,010 tonnes in January from a year earlier, announced by Japan Copper and Brass Association on Friday. The output decreased for 8 months in a row when the demand is slump especially for strip products.
The output decreased by 6.6% to 51,112 tonnes for domestic market in January from a year earlier. The output decreased by 23.1% to 8,898 tonnes while the decrease was narrower than 30.7% drop in December. The output decreased by 11.3% to 16,600 tonnes for copper strip in January from a year earlier. The volume was lower than December level, which hit the lowest volume in 2 and half years. The output decreased by 23% for export in January from a year earlier due to slower connector demand, impact of Thai flood and higher yen rate. The output decreased by 18.9% to 2,627 tonnes for bronze flat and strip products in January from a year earlier. The output decreased for 15 months in a row. The copper tube output decreased by 14.5% to 9,570 tonnes in January from a year earlier. The demand was slow for air conditioner due to bad weather and slow world economy. The brass bar output decreased by 7.7% to 14,206 tonnes in January from a year earlier. The output decreased for 5 months in a row while the volume increased by more than 900 tonnes from December level. The association estimates the demand started to improve for automobile and water tap parts in January while the export halved in January. The brass strip output increased by 3.6% to 8,646 tonnes in January from a year earlier.