Japanese Electric Furnaces’ Carbon Steel Output Keeps Inactive in November

Japanese electric furnace steel makers’ crude steel production totaled 1.814 million tonnes in November 2009, down by 0.4% from the previous month while 15.4% lower than a year earlier. Carbon steel production represented month-to-month decline for 2 months in a row due to continuously low demand from construction market. Meanwhile, special steel production represented month-to-month increase for 3 straight months thanks to the demand recovery from automobiles and electric appliances.

Carbon steel production was 1.245 million tonnes in November, down by 3.8% from the previous month and lowered by 20.1% from a year earlier. Small bar production was 697,693 tonnes, down by 6.9% month-to-month and by 2.5% year-to-year. H-beam production was 253,542 tonnes, down by 7.1% month-to-month and by 14.4% year-to-year. Middle- and small-size shape steels totaled 73,712 tonnes, down by 14.4% month-to-month and by 20.2% year-to-year. Carbon steel production is expected to have maintained low in December.

Special steel production was 568,998 tonnes in November, up by 8.8% from the previous month and down by 3% from a year earlier. The output volume has recovered by 2.5 times from the bottom at 220,000 tonnes in February 2009, approaching 600,000 tonnes as high as October 2008. The demand is likely to keep gradual uptrend.