Japan Cu Alloy Products Output Keeps Above 70,000T in May

Japanese copper rolled products output in May was quickly estimated at 72,990 tonnes, increasing by 50.4% compared with a year earlier, according to Japan Copper and Brass Association. The production exceeded 70,000 tonnes for 3 months in a row and represented year-on-year increase for 7 straight months. The production of copper and phosphor bronze strips keeps steady thanks to the active export for Asia. Another plus factor was that copper tube production reaches 12,000 tonnes for the first time in 18 months.

Copper strip production in May was quickly estimated at 21,270 tonnes, which represented 67.4% year-on-year increase. The production increased by 62.9% to 15,240 tonnes for domestic market and by 80.1% to 6,030 tonnes for export. The demand related to consumer electronics is steady in China and other Asian countries. Automotive demand was also stable in May.

Brass strip production was estimated to increase to 2.1 times at 9,581 tonnes in May from a year earlier. Phosphor bronze sheet and strip production was estimated to increase by 80.4% to 4,217 tonnes. The demand keeps firm from automotive applications, digital appliances and cellular phones at overseas.

Copper tube production was estimated to increase by 15.7% to 12,510 tonnes in May from a year earlier. The demand was pushed up by favorable production of residential air conditioners. Brass bar production was quickly estimated at 15,861 tonnes, up by 43.8%. The production represented year-on-year increase for 6 straight months. The demand is recovering from car and electric appliance related applications while maintains weak for construction applications such as water taps and gas appliances.