According to a survey by Japan Ferrous Raw Materials Association, Japan's steel industry set the blending ratio of ferrous scrap to pig iron at 13.8% for LD converter feed in August 2009, down from 14.3% in July 2009, indicating a decrease in the blending ratio for the first time in 7 months.

Ferrous scrap consumption for LD converter feed totaled 1,008,000 tonnes in August 2009, up by 57,000 tonnes or by 6% MoM, topping 1,000,000 tonnes for the first time in nine months since November 2008.

Meanwhile, the Japanese steel industry's ferrous scrap consumption for electric furnace operations totaled 1,757,000 tonnes in August 2009, up by 46,000 tonnes or by 2.7% MoM, hitting a level of 1,700,000 tonnes for 4 consecutive months.

(Sourced from TEX Report Limited)