European steel sales and stocks decrease in December

According to data from BDS, sales of steel products in the distribution and warehousing sector in Germany decreased significantly in December. Sales totaled 465,000 metric tons, down 56% m-o-m and 14% y-o-y.

Sales of flat steel products were 289,758 metric tons, down 55% on month and 18% on year, while sales of long steel products were 143,297 metric tons, down 54% on month and 6.2% on year.

Sales of all other products totaled 31,946 metric tons in December, down from 61,677 metric tons in November and 38,584 metric tons in December 2022.

Inventories of steel products also decreased. In Germany, inventories of all steel products in the distribution and storage segment amounted to about 1.85 million metric tons in December 2023, down 5.1% y-o-y and 2.9% m-o-m.

Flat stocks decreased by 3.8% m-o-m to 1.165 million metric tons and were almost unchanged y-o-y. Long stocks, on the other hand, stood at 652,347 metric tons in December, down 13 percent y-o-y and 1.2 percent m-o-m.

All other product stocks stood at 36,702 metric tons in December, down from 38,645 metric tons in November and 39,786 metric tons in December 2022.