German steel sales rose to 879,820 units in September, 2.9% higher year over year and 20.9% up month over month, data from Bundesverband Deutscher Stahlhandel, the German steel association of steel stockholders, showed Oct. 27.
The month-over-month increase was recorded across all three product categories. Sales of steel longs rose 18.4% from August to 296,173 units, while flats longs increased 21.5% to 503,098 units. Sales of other steel products climbed 27.1% to 80,549 units, according to the BDS data.
Compared with September 2025, steel longs sales increased 7.1%, while sales of other steel products rose 9.6%. Flats longs sales were broadly stable year over year, edging down 0.3%, the data showed.
The September recovery followed a weaker August, when total sales fell to 727,529 units. September sales were also 5.8% above the 2025 monthly average of 789,369 units.
Total steel stocks declined to 1,868,313 units in September, down 2.8% from 1,921,832 units in August, according to BDS. Stocks of steel longs fell 2.1% month over month to 618,961 units, while flats longs stocks decreased 3.2% to 1,211,698 units. Stocks of other steel products were relatively stable, easing 0.8% to 37,654 units.
Despite the monthly decline, total stocks remained 1.4% above September 2025 levels. Flats longs inventories increased 3.6% year over year, and stocks of other steel products rose 23.5%. These gains more than offset a 3.8% decline in steel longs stocks.
For the third quarter as a whole, average total sales were 830,846 units, up 1.3% from the 819,973-unit average in the third quarter of 2025, according to the BDS data. The Q3 2026 average was also 1.5% above the second-quarter 2026 average of 818,333 units.
Average total stocks during Q3 2026 stood at 1,903,146 units, up 2.1% year over year and 1% from the second quarter. The quarterly increase was driven by higher average stocks of flats longs and other steel products, while average steel longs stocks declined.
Author: Annalisa Villa
