Tokyo – Japan's polyurethane foam production recorded its 12th straight month of year-on-year contractions in September, with a 1.8% fall. The country produced 16.9 kT of flexible and rigid polyurethane in the month, down from 17.2 kT in September 2019.
In the first nine months of 2020, Japan generated 126.1 kT polyurethane foam, down 22.8% or 23.4 kT on this stage last year.
It produced 11.0 kT of flexible foam in September, down 2.7% on the amount produced in September 2019. Looking at the year to date, flexible foam production has reached 81.2 kT. This is a fall of 23.6%, or 15.5 kT, on the amount produced by this stage last year.
The country's rigid foam production in September was almost flat between September 2019 and 2020 at 5.8 kT. Taking the year so far, it is down by 1.0% at 45.0 kT.
Numbers are collated by MITI, the Japanese trade ministry, and there is a lag while the data are checked.