Germany’s crude steel production continued to decline in August

According to the German Steel Association (Wirtschaftsvereinigung Stahl), total production fell by 11.9% to 22.4 million tons in the January–August period.

Looking at production methods, output in basic oxygen furnaces (BOF) decreased by 9.6% in August, reaching 1.94 million tons. Production in electric arc furnaces (EAF) fell by 13.4% to 636 thousand tons, hitting the lowest annual level. Pig iron production also declined by 11.6% during the same period, reaching 1.74 million tons.

Production of hot-rolled steel products decreased by 6.3% in August, totaling 2.19 million tons.

Data for the first eight months of the year further highlight the challenges facing the sector. BOF production dropped by 15.2% to 15.3 million tons, EAF production fell by 3.8% to 7.1 million tons, and pig iron production decreased by 14.6% to 14.1 million tons. Hot-rolled products saw a 7.7% decline, with total production falling to 19.9 million tons.