Crude steel production in Germany continues downward trend

Crude steel production in Germany remains under pressure. In July 2025, output fell by 13.7% compared to the same month last year, reaching approximately 2.7 million tonnes. A closer look at the production routes reveals diverging trends: output via the blast furnace–converter route (basic oxygen steel) declined sharply by 19.6% to just under 1.9 million tonnes, while electric arc furnace (EAF) steel, based on steel scrap and electricity, recorded a modest 4% increase, reaching 0.8 million tonnes. However, this year-on-year growth reflects the very low baseline of the previous year.

Over the first seven months of 2025, the cumulative total amounted to 19.8 million tonnes, representing a 12.1% decrease compared to the already weak performance in the same period of 2024.

Oxygen steel production fell significantly by 19.6% to around 1.9 million tonnes. In contrast, electric arc furnace steel showed a modest increase of 4.0%, reaching 821,000 tonnes.

Pig iron output also declined substantially, down 18.3% to 1.74 million tonnes. The production of hot-rolled steel products stood at 2.47 million tonnes, representing a 4.9% year-on-year decrease.

Over the first seven months of the year (January to July 2025), total crude steel production reached 19.83 million tonnes, down 12.1% compared to the same period in 2024. Oxygen steel output dropped by 16.0%, while electric steel production fell only slightly, by 2.8%. Pig iron production decreased by 15.0%, and hot-rolled steel products declined by 7.8%.

Source: WV Stahl, Photo: Fotolia