Japan Nonferrous Metals Output Recovers in May

Japanese nonferrous metal production increased for 16 items out of 20 items in May from a year earlier, according to report by Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. The ingot production increased for 6 items including copper and aluminium alloy while the nonferrous fabricated products’ output increased for 10 items.

The electrolytic copper production increased by 2.2% to 132,901 tonnes in May from a year earlier. The shipment decreased by 0.4% to 119,663 tonnes while the stock increased by 28.4% to 40,145 tonnes. The alloyed aluminum production increased by 11.3% to 22,540 tonnes. The shipment increased by 15.8% to 22,929 tonnes while the stock deceased by 2.9% to 12,239 tonnes.

The rolled copper production increased by 49.8% to 72,682 tonnes in May from a year earlier. The production reached 70,000 tonnes for 3 months in a row. The shipment increased by 48.3% to 71,227 tonnes while the stock increased by 14.3% to 29,491 tonnes. The copper strip production increased by 67.4% and the copper tube production hit 18 months high.

The flat rolled aluminium production increased by 23.3% to 111,161 tonnes in May from a year earlier. The shipment increased by 19.2% to 103,497 tonnes while the stock increased by 0.1% to 68,964 tonnes. The shipment for automobile recovered near 90% level of recent peak in May 2008. The extrusion output increased by 18% to 57,387 tonnes. The shipment increased by 40% to 30,273 tonnes while the stock increased by 6.6% to 10,997 tonnes.