German distributors holding shares sold 2.47 million tons of steel in the first quarter, according to Kallanish, citing data from the BDS Distributors Federation.
The sales volume is close to that of the same quarter in 2024, having increased by about 4,000 tons. This, however, does not offset the steeper year-on-year decline seen last year. In the first quarter of 2024, production decreased by about 5% compared to the first quarter of 2023.
Nevertheless, in the first quarter of this year, there were some noticeable deviations in the product groups. Flat products, which account for approximately 60% of the revenue between shareholders in Germany, experienced a decline of 30,000 tons to 1.535 million tons this year.
The BDS does not provide an explanation for such changes, which cannot be caused by any factor. While sales in February decreased by 40,000 tons compared to the same period last year, sales in March increased by the same amount.
Long products, which traditionally account for about 30% of the total volume, increased by a modest 5,000 tons compared to the same period last year.
A more noticeable increase occurred in the "other goods" category, which increased by 30,000 tons to a total of 235,000 tons. This growth indicates an increase in the volume of wire rod, a traditionally rare product in the warehouses of distributors holding shares.
Christian Kel Germany
kallanish.com
