Japan Titanium Ingot Shipment Recovers to 20,673T in 2010

Japanese domestic shipment of titanium ingot totaled 20,673 tonnes in 2010, up by 49.7% from 2009, according to Japan Titanium Society. The shipment of rolled titanium products increased by 14.9% to 13,783 tonnes.

The ingot shipment was 23.4% lower than record 26,999 tonnes in 2008 while almost recovered to the level of 2005 at 20,925 tonnes. Offshore demand related to airplanes sharply increased especially in the forth quarter (October-December).

The shipment also increased for rolled products but the volume hit the secondly lowest since 2001. The shipment increased by 9.4% for domestic market and by 17.8% for export. The demand recovery was relatively weak for plate-type heat exchanger.