Japan Rolled Copper Production Increases by 66.8% in April

Japanese rolled copper production increased by 66.8% to 74,100 tonnes in April from a year earlier, which increased for 6 months in a row, according to Japan Copper and Brass Association. The production slightly decreased from 75,894 tonnes in March, which was the highest volume since October 2008.

The copper strip production increased to 2.2 times at 21,940 tonnes in April from a year earlier. The production recovered near monthly average 22,800 tonnes in April-September 2008. The production increased to 2.1 times at 15,630 tonnes for domestic shipment and the production for export increased to 2.4 times at 6,310 tonnes.

The brass strip production increased to 2.8 times at 9,751 tonnes in April fro ma year earlier. The phosphor bronze strip output doubled at 4,274 tonnes.

The copper tube production increased by 12.4% to 11,180 tonnes in April from a year earlier. The brass bar production increased by 48.2% to 16,219 tonnes, which showed year-on-year increase for 5 months in a row.