Steel Plate Output to Target to 1.3 Million Tons Level in F2014

Steel plate output of fiscal 2014 at total of blast furnace and electric furnace is expected to reach to 12.5 million tons – 13 million tons level. Demand of shipbuilding will improve and it for construction, bridge and civil increase and raise demand on the background of Abenomics effect and Tohoku reconstruction. Iron and steel makers expect plate demand for shipbuilding targets to 3.6 million tons – 3.7 million tons, steel beam demand exceeds 5.2 million tons, construction machine and production machine decreases slightly and plate output reach around 12.5-13 million tons, increase by around 1 million tons compared with fiscal 2013.