In May, crude steel production at German mills totalled 3.19 million tonnes, 2% lower than in May last year, according to latest figures by national steel federation WV Stahl.
It is the first month of this year that saw a lower output than the corresponding 2023 month, which is why the federation states that the “recovery of Germany’s steel production loses momentum.” The apparent recovery, however, so far is questionable and more an expression of wishful thinking, Kallanish understands.
Although previous months had seen a slight increase of output year-on-year, WV Stahl in April still expressed an expectation of a sustained trend for the better. It explained the increases with a cyclical restocking that caught up on the notable declines seen last year.
Over the period from January through May, output totalled 16.17mt, 4% higher than the first five months of 2023. The recovery at electric-arc furnace mills (+6.5%) was more pronounced than for oxygen-route mills (+2.5%), attributable to the base effect that EAF mills last year kept production low due to peaking electricity prices.
Christian Koehl Germany