Metal & Oil & Gas News – Nctv.net
Crude steel production in April dropped 0.8 percent from a year earlier to 8.65 million tons, down for the eighth consecutive month, the Japan Iron and Steel Federation said.
Although problems with blast furnaces were resolved, many operators did not activate electric furnaces during the 10-day holiday period starting in late April, a federation official said.
The volume of crude steel production at electric furnaces slumped 4.9 percent.
Production of steel at converters, made chiefly from iron ore, increased 0.6 percent.
Output of light bars for housing construction and other purposes shrank 3.7 percent, while that of heavy plates used chiefly for ships rose 1.7 percent.
Source: Jiji Press
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