Total German steel sales in August dropped by 13% on the month and by 6.8% on the year to 747,487 mt, while steel stocks were down 1.1% on the month and 2.7% on the year to 1,865,093 mt, according to German sales and stocks association BDS (Bundesverband Deutscher Stahlhandel) data published on Sept 22.
In the given period, sales in all categories registered a decrease, the data showed.
In August, sales of long steel products were down by 13% on the month and by 1% on the year to 236,714 mt. Sales of flat steel products dropped by 12% on the month and by 10% on the year to 438,550 mt. Sales of other products also moved down, falling 17% on the month and by 4.1% on the year to 72,223 mt.
Steel stocks
In August, long steel stocks were down by 2.1% on the month, but were up by 4.7% on the year to 647,894 mt.
Stocks of flat steel products went down by 0.1% on the month and by 6% on the year to 1,184,330 mt. Stocks of other steel products were down 18% on the month and by 13% on the year to 32,869 mt.
In August, German steel production continued its steep decline, with crude steel output falling almost 11% year over year to 2.57 million mt, with the data underscoring the persistent headwinds confronting German steelmakers as they navigate a challenging operating environment that has pressured margins and production levels throughout 2025.
Platts, part of S&P Global Commodity Insights, assessed Northern European HRC at Eur570/mt EXW Ruhr, stable on the day.
