In September, crude steel production in Germany fell by 13% year-on-year to 2.63 million tons. The main reason was the reduction in blast furnace production, according to data published on October 22 by the German Steel Industry Federation WV Stahl.
The sharp decline forced the annual output forecast to be significantly revised downwards: the industry's recovery has noticeably slowed down.
According to the association's estimate, based on data for the first nine months of the year, by the end of the year, production will amount to 35.4 million tons, which is only 4% more than in the same period of 2025. This is noticeably lower than the estimate that could have been made based on the results of the first half of the year: at that time, annual output was projected at 37.3 million tons, which was 9% higher than a year earlier.
Steel production using blast furnaces and oxygen converters in September decreased by 20.2% year-on-year, to 1.7 million tons. Production in electric furnaces, on the contrary, increased by 4.3%, to 929 thousand tons. In January—September, blast furnace steel production increased by 3.8% year—on-year, to 18.16 million tons, and in electric furnaces - by 4.3%, to 8.37 million tons.
These data show how fragile the recovery of Germany's steel industry remains, an important part of the country's industry and a key supplier to the automotive, engineering and construction sectors.
In September, pig iron output decreased by 19.9% year—on-year to 1.56 million tons, while hot-rolled steel production decreased by 10.6% to 2.32 million tons. However, in the first nine months of the year, there was a slight increase in both categories: by 2.6% and 2.5%, respectively.
Author: Annalisa Villa
