Japan’s crude steel production in February 2021 fell by 5.6pc to 7.47mn mt from Feb 2020 and by 5.7pc as compared to the prior month (January 2021), witnessing a decline for the twelfth consecutive month, according to data released by the Japan Iron and Steel Federation (JISF).
Daily crude steel production in February grew by 4.4pc to 267,000mt from 256,000 in January.
Ordinary and special steel
Production of ordinary steel in February stood at 5.75mn mt, down by 5.4pc from the same month in 2020 and by 5.1pc as compared to the prior month, while special steel output dropped by 6.4pc from the year before and by 7.6pc from the preceding month.
Ordinary steel production fell for the twelfth consecutive month, and special steel output decreased for the 27th consecutive month.
Hot-rolled steel
Total hot-rolled steel (ordinary steel and special steel) output in February stood at 6.54mn tons, down by 5.1pc from the year before and by 4.3pc as compared to January, declining for the thirty-second consecutive month.
Production of hot-rolled ordinary steel in February stood at 5.06mn mt, down by 7.1pc from the year prior and by 5.4pc from the prior month.
In February, production of hot-rolled special steel rose by 2.3pc to 1.48mn mt as compared to the year before but fell by 0.3pc from the previous month.
Compared to the year before, hot-rolled special output in February witnessed a second consecutive monthly increase.
Pig iron
Japan’s pig iron production in February stood at 5.479mn mt, down by 8.8pc from the previous month and by 7.9pc as compared to the same month in 2020, registering a decline for the twelfth consecutive month.