According to Nippon Steel Corporation, Japan's Tokiwakai group of domestic steel distributors held in stock a total of 183,000 tonnes of H beams across the nation at the end of August 2010, down by 20,400 tonnes or 10.0% MoM, when the nationwide H beam inventory ratios averaged 2.07%, down from 2.47% in the month before.

As a result, Tokiwakai's H beam stocks came short of 200,000 tonnes for the first time in three months. In this connection, NSC held back on monthly intakes of H beam orders from steel distributors for the July to August 2010 period in an attempt to reduce H beam stocks at the distribution level.

In the breakdown by main trading areas, Tokyo accounted for 41,500 tonnes, down by 2,600 tons or 5.9% MoM; Osaka 42,500 tonnes, down by 10,800 tonnes or 20.3% Mom and Nagoya 21,400 tonnes, down by 2,800 tonnes or 11.6% Mom.

The Tokiwakai group is concerned with domestic sales of steel products from the nation's largest integrated steelmaker.

(Sourced from TEX Report Limited)