EUROMETAL’s latest SSC Market Monitoring report shows that European Steel Service Centers (SSCs) experienced a moderate rebound in shipments during the first nine months of 2025, while stocks continued to decline significantly across the continent.
Across the EU27, shipments of strip mill flat products increased by 0.5% year-on-year between January and September 2025, with September alone up 11.1%, signalling improving industrial activity. At the same time, EU27 SSC inventories fell by 6.2% over the nine-month period, reflecting cautious stock management despite strengthening demand .
A stronger performance was recorded in the AT–DE–NL–BE region, where shipments rose 1.4% year-on-year in January–September 2025 and 10.8% in September.
Stocks in this core industrial region were down 10.9% over the nine months, indicating sustained de-stocking across Northern Continental Europe.
Rising shipments combined with disciplined stock levels indicate that European service centers are cautiously adapting to recovering demand.
