Japan Small Steel Bar Shipment Keeps High in April

Japanese small steel bar shipment keeps high level though it decreased by 1.3% to 978,403 tonnes in April from March, according to Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. The shipment increased by 4.9% from a year earlier and exceeded averaged 870,000 tonnes in January-April in 2005. The shipment and output are expected to increase toward summer when nationwide construction activity increases for condominium and office building. The domestic shipment was 937,978 tonnes in April, down by 2.4% from March and up by 5.2% from a year earlier. The export shipment increased by 34% to 40,515 tonnes from March. The output was 1.005 million tonnes in April, up by 2.5% from March and up by 6.6% from a year earlier. The output reached 1 million tonnes for the first time since November 2005. The concrete reinforcing steel bar output was 930,384 tonnes, up by 3% from March and by 8.3% from a year earlier. The rebar output increased for 7 consecutive months under the firm demand. The small bar inventory held by makers and distributors was 521,983 tonnes in April, up by 5.4% from March and by 6.3% from a year earlier. The inventory for shipment was in line with the level a year earlier though it increased by 3.4 percentage points to 53.3% from March. The makers’ inventory was 482,061 tonnes, up by 4.8% from March and by 9.4% from a year earlier. The distributors’ inventory was 39,922 tonnes, up by 13.5% from March and down by 20.3% from a year earlier.