Jindal Steel prepared to continue thyssenkrupp’s green transformation
Jindal Steel International would continue thyssenkrupp Steel’s transformation to low-emission direct reduced iron-based steelmaking if it were to acquire the German steel giant.
The Indian group submitted a non-binding offer for thyssenkrupp Steel Europe on Tuesday.
“We believe in the future of green steel production in Germany and Europe,” Narendra Misra, Jindal’s director of European operations, is quoted as saying by multiple press reports. Jindal’s goal is “to preserve and grow thyssenkrupp’s 200-year industrial legacy and help transform it into Europe’s largest integrated low-emission steelmaker.”
Jindal would invest €2 billion ($2.4 billion) in the transformation at the Duisburg production plants. According to a report by Reuters, it would also be prepared to take over the company’s pension liabilities.
If acquired by Jindal, thyssenkrupp Steel would benefit from low-emission metallics or slab supply from Jindal’s new plant in Oman, which is scheduled to start operations in 2027, as well as iron ore from its mines in Cameroon.
The offer from the Indian group has been welcomed in principle by parent thyssenkrup AG, which has tried for years to spin off its steel unit. Union IG Metall also welcomed the news, underlining the significance of the green transition and the importance of maintaining jobs.
Incidentally, the offer became public on the day that annual collective wage bargaining talks began between IG Metall and German mill employers. The union is keeping its claims modest this time around. In view of the difficult economic situation, it has not entered the talks with defined wage increase claims. Another meeting will follow at the end of this week.
In the name of thyssenkrupp Steel workers, IG Metall struck earlier this month an agreement with the company on lower wages and working hours, and a reduction of certain standard benefits.
Christian Koehl Germany
Friedrich Merz to call steel summit
German chancellor Friedrich Merz says he will schedule summits for the steel and automotive industries, which are both suffering from economic recession.
His announcement last week was in reaction to requests from numerous mills that have expressed the need for a high level meeting of industry with policymakers.
“I will very soon invite steelmaking companies as well as unions and [governments of] the states with steel production,” he said in a televised address. The aim is to retain a steel industry in Germany, he added.
The move has been welcomed by steel federation Wirtschaftsvereinigung Stahl. “Steel is not only the backbone of virtually all value chains, but also a cornerstone of our democracy and freedom,” says managing director Kerstin Maria Rippel.
In a statement sent to Kallanish upon request, she underlines that Europe’s future defence capabilities, competitive strength, and economic stability are at stake. “Securing the steel industry is therefore not only an economic policy task, but also a core component of the country’s security and resilience,” she notes.
Christian Koehl Germany
Germany to hold steel and automotive summits: IG Metall calls for concrete results
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has announced plans to convene both a steel summit and an automotive summit to address mounting industry challenges.
According to official government press records, the summits will bring together steel producers, automotive manufacturers, trade unions, and federal states in the near future. The exact dates will be announced once preparations are complete.
IG Metall welcomes decision
The metalworkers’ union IG Metall welcomed the announcement, stressing that workers urgently need concrete solutions amid job losses, uncertainty, and lack of prospects across the steel and automotive industries.
Steel industry: need for concrete results
The steel summit carries particular importance for Duisburg, home to Europe’s largest steelmaking hub. Jürgen Kerner, vice chairman of IG Metall, emphasized that, while Merz’s commitment to Germany as a steel production hub is welcome, lip service is not enough, and tangible outcomes are needed rather than delays.
IG Metall’s key demands:
- Effective EU tariff regulations to counter steel dumping from China and Russia
- Competitive industrial electricity prices starting January 1, 2026
- Corporate responsibility to avoid plant closures and relocations
For Duisburg and beyond, IG Metall stressed that the summits must not become symbolic events. Kerner underlined that the challenges are well-known, and solutions already exist, while what is required now are concrete results that send a clear signal to employees and project jobs.
Automotive industry: jobs versus relocation
In the automotive sector, Christiane Benner, first chair of IG Metall, criticized recent job cuts and called on employers to end relocation debates. Instead, she urged cooperation with workers to ensure job security and foster innovation in the industry.
German rebar players shore up prices via surcharges
Following an increase in the cost of size extras on rebar products, German observers say that such surcharges are an attempt to end the lull of market prices in which some mills cannot be profitable.
The deterioration of base prices found a rest at around €350/tonne ($407/t) by July, and has since remained at around that mark, with only little success for mills to charge much more.
For the first time in ten years, two rebar mills in Germany and Austria recently announced an increase of their size extras that are the fixed price component, in combination with a base price that is subject to the market.
The previous size extra for the standard thickness of 12mm was €265/t. This would bring the low end of the final delivered price to €615/t. In the new lists, that surcharge is now €280/t, making a delivered price of €630/t.
The size extras vary by thickness from €270/t for 22mm to as much as €350/t for 6mm.
According to a buyer in central Germany, the new pricing brings a shift in the ratio, bringing the extras for bar and coil now closer, but could not explain the logic behind such a move.
A manager at a distributor in eastern Germany agrees that the system of size extras is not necessarily understood at distributors. He sees the adjustment of size extras as a tool to bring up the final delivered prices somewhat.
“Mills are having a hard time bringing up the base price, there is too much competition from imports,” one manager tells Kallanish. “So now they try to support prices via the size extras.”
Downstream, too, benders are banking more on surcharges to break even, the manager says. Benders are charging extra for some services, for example for stirrup bending or for “positioning” – labelling bars according to the position in the construction – he explains. “The competition among benders for construction jobs is fierce, he notes. Via the surcharges, they have some way of making the €70/t on top of the steel intake price they need to break even, he says.
Christian Koehl Germany
Germany approves carbon storage law to secure climate neutrality and industry
The German federal government has announced that it has approved a draft bill amending the Carbon Dioxide Storage Act (KSpG), significantly expanding the legal framework for carbon capture, transport, and underground storage (CCS). Until now, CCS projects in Germany were limited to research and pilot operations.
The German federal government has announced that it has approved a draft bill amending the Carbon Dioxide Storage Act (KSpG), significantly expanding the legal framework for carbon capture, transport, and underground storage (CCS). Until now, CCS projects in Germany were limited to research and pilot operations.
This amendment is considered a crucial milestone in Germany’s plan to achieve climate neutrality by 2045, while also safeguarding the country’s industrial competitiveness.
Why carbon storage is needed
Certain industrial emissions, particularly in steel, cement, and lime, cannot be fully eliminated, even with the latest low-carbon technologies. For these sectors, CCS is indispensable in reaching net-zero targets, the government stated.
Since CCS infrastructure requires seven to 10 years to build, the government stresses that projects must begin immediately to ensure facilities are operational by the early 2030s.
Expanded legal framework
A 2022 review of the KSpG confirmed that CCS and carbon capture and utilization (CCU) are required under Germany’s Federal Climate Protection Act (KSG).
The amendment now provides industries with:
- Legal certainty to justify long-term investments,
- A path to scale CCS from pilot projects to full deployment, only permitted if proven safe for health and the environment.
By laying the legal foundation today, Berlin aims to accelerate project development, ensuring infrastructure is in place to meet climate targets without eroding industrial strength.
Impact on the steel industry
SteelOrbis understands that the German government’s revised Carbon Dioxide Storage Act positions CCS as a necessary pillar for hard-to-abate industries such as steelmaking. While German steelmakers such as thyssenkrupp are testing CCU through projects such as Carbon2Chem®, and ArcelorMittal Germany is linked to cross-border carbon pipeline initiatives, no large-scale capture and storage project has yet been realized at steelworks. The new legal framework ensures that once steelmakers move beyond hydrogen-based decarbonization, they may have access to transport and storage infrastructure, making their pilot projects and infrastructure studies directly aligned with Berlin’s strategy.
Germany’s crude steel production decreased by 13.7% in July
According to data released by the German Steel Federation (Wirtschaftsvereinigung Stahl), the pressure on steel production in Germany persisted in July 2025. The country’s total crude steel output declined by 13.7% compared to the same month last year, falling to approximately 2.72 million tons.
A significant part of this decline was driven by reduced output via the blast furnace–converter route (BOF/oxygen steelmaking). Oxygen steel production dropped by 19.6% in July, falling to just below 1.9 million tons.
In contrast, electric arc furnace (EAF) production, which relies on scrap and electricity, showed a slight increase. EAF-based crude steel output rose by 4% to reach 0.82 million tons. However, this increase is seen as a limited recovery, as it came from a low base.
Pig iron production also dropped sharply in July, decreasing by 18.3% to 1.74 million tons. Meanwhile, production of hot-rolled steel products declined by 4.9% to 2.47 million tons.
Looking at the first seven months of 2025, Germany’s total crude steel output decreased by 12.1% year-on-year to 19.83 million tons. During this period, BOF-based steel production decreased by 16% to 13.34 million tons, while EAF-based production decreased by 2.8% to 6.49 million tons. Pig iron production declined by 15% to 12.38 million tons, and hot-rolled steel output decreased by 7.8% to 17.75 million tons.
German Steel Distribution: June sales fall 6% year over year
German steel product sales fell 5.8% year over year in June to 782,667 mt, but were up 4.4% from May, data from the German steel stockholders’ association BDS showed July 29.
The majority, or 56.9%, of the sales were from the flat product category at 44,479 mt, down 11.2% year over year, but 1.7% higher month over month.
Long sales increased 5.8% year over year in June to 268,673 mt, and rose 10.5% month over month, the data showed.
The sales total for the first half of 2025 was 4.8 million mt, down 1.8% year over year, with flat sales down 4.8% at 2.9 million mt and long sales up 1.8% at 1.5 million mt.
Platts, part of S&P Global Commodity Insights, assessed domestic HRC in Northern Europe at Eur550/mt ($636.12/mt) ex-works Ruhr July 28, down 2% since the start of 2025.
Meanwhile, BDS data showed stocks of German steel products totaled 1.85 million mt in June, slipping 3% year over year and down 0.4% from May.
Flat products comprised 62.35% of total inventories in June at 1.16 million mt, which was 7.6% lower year over year and down 1.5% month over month.
Long products stocks totaled 659,874 mt, or 35.6% of the total inventory, rising 7.1% year over year and up 1.2% from May.
SÜLZLE Stahlpartner acquires WesterwaldStahl
SÜLZLE Stahlpartner GmbH is taking over the reinforcing steel division of WesterwaldStahl GmbH in Ransbach-Baumbach on 1 July 2025.
With this step, SÜLZLE Stahlpartner is expanding its presence in the Westerwald, Rhineland and the neighbouring metropolitan regions in western Germany. Customers can look forward to a wide range of services and familiar support from the proven local team. The takeover strengthens SÜLZLE Stahlpartner’s proximity to its customers and emphasises its claim to offer innovative and sustainable steel solutions for the construction industry throughout Germany.
Since 2014, WesterwaldStahl GmbH can look back on an eventful history with several successful takeovers and mergers. As a specialist in construction steel and reinforcing steel, the steel trading company in Ransbach-Baumbach has built up an excellent reputation in the Westerwald region and beyond as a subsidiary of the SchwarzwaldEisen Group in recent years. Following the takeover, the site will remain an independent branch under the umbrella of SÜLZLE Stahlpartner and will complement the Germany-wide network of one of the leading reinforcing steel traders and bending companies.
‘In SÜLZLE Stahlpartner, we have found an experienced and strong partner who will continue to develop our company with innovative strength and in line with our shared values’, emphasises branch manager Jörg Jung.
With the integration of the new location, SÜLZLE Stahlpartner has secured a direct presence in the heart of Germany.
‘With Ransbach-Baumbach, we are closing an important gap in our network and can supply our customers even faster and more flexibly. We are particularly pleased that all employees will be taken on and that their experience and expertise will be retained’, explains Heinrich Sülzle, Managing Partner of the SÜLZLE Group.
Andreas Sülzle, Managing Partner of the SÜLZLE Group, also sees the takeover as a strategic milestone: ‘We are making targeted investments in the future viability of our group of companies and want to be a pioneer for sustainable solutions in the industry. Our focus is on individualised support and reliable supply for our customers.’
SchwarzwaldEisen Managing Director Dr Marco Stefan Auer adds: ‘We are delighted to be placing the Ransbach-Baumbach site in the good hands of SÜLZLE Stahlpartner. The rolled steel business under the name WesterwaldStahl as part of SchwarzwaldEisen GmbH will remain unaffected by the takeover and will continue as usual at the Andernach, Ransbach-Baumbach and Altenkirchen sales locations as well as with the warehouses in Andernach and Altenkirchen.’
With 17 locations, SÜLZLE Stahlpartner is one of the leading steel distributors and bending companies in Germany and has stood for innovation and partnership-based cooperation for 145 years. The family-run company, now in its fourth generation, offers a comprehensive range of products – from customised reinforcement cages, bolted connections and reinforcing steel in all variants to sectional steel, steel beams, steel bars, tubes and flat products. SÜLZLE Stahlpartner supplies construction projects of all sizes – from private house builders to major projects such as Terminal 3 at Frankfurt Airport in the Rhine-Main region. As a pioneer in the industry, the company also enables its customers to purchase climate-friendly steel and thus makes an active contribution to CO₂ reduction in the construction industry.
German steel sales decline 5% in April, inventories drop
Germany’s total steel product sales fell 5% month over month and 3% year over year to 820,837 mt in April, BDS data showed May 22. Total inventories also fell 5.5% year over year but rose 1% month over month to 1.905 million mt, the data showed.
Sales
German sales of flat steel products decreased by 9% month over month and 5.6% year over year to 485,257 mt in April. Flat steel products are primarily used in the automotive sector, which is currently in decline due to unfavorable global economic conditions.
According to the latest data published by the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association ACEA, new car registrations in the EU declined by 1.9% year over year in Q1 2025.
Domestic passenger car production in April fell 7% year over year to 367,500 units, according to VDA, the German Association of the Automotive Industry. Just over 1.4 million passenger cars were manufactured in Germany in the first four months of the year, up 1% year over year.
Sales of long steel products rose 3.4% month over month and 0.8% year over year to 259,504 mt. This was in line with expectations, as long steel products have generally been performing better since April, driven by demand from the construction sector, which typically picks up this time of the year.
Other steel product sales decreased by 4.7% month over month and rose 1.9% year over year to 76,976 mt.
Steel stocks
The country’s long steel stocks rose 0.5% month over month and 0.2% year over year to 662,764 mt in April. Stocks of flat products fell 8% year over year but rose 1.2% month over month to 1.2 million mt. Other steel product sales fell 14.1% year over year but rose 4.7% month over month to 39.469 mt.
Platts, part of S&P Global Commodity Insights, assessed hot-rolled coils at Eur635/mt base ex-works Ruhr on May 20, up from Eur560/mt base ex-works at the beginning of the year. In April, hot-rolled coils stayed in the price range of Eur645-655/mt base ex-works.
German stockholders’ sales remain modest in Q1
Germany’s stockholding distributors sold 2.47 million tonnes of steel in the first quarter, Kallanish learns from distributors’ federation BDS figures.
The tonnage comes close to that of the corresponding 2024 quarter, with a gain of some 4,000 tonnes. This, however, does not compensate for the steeper year-on-year drop seen last year. In the first quarter of 2024, the tonnage dropped around 5’%, compared with Q1 2023.
Still, this year’s Q1 shows some noteworthy deviations in the product groups. Flat products, which make up roughly 60% of sales among Germany’s stockholders, saw a decline by 30,000t to 1.535mt this year.
BDS does not provide explanations for such changes, which may not be caused by any particular factor. While February’s tonnage was down 40,000t y-o-y, March sales were up by the same rate.
Long products, traditionally accounting for some 30% of the total, saw an increase, by a modest 5,000t y-o-y.
A more noteworthy increase occurred in the “other products” category, which gained 30,000t, to a total of 235,000t. The growth hints at increasing volumes of wire rod, a traditionally uncommon product in warehouses of stockholding distributors.
Christian Koehl Germany