Austria reduced steel production by 6% y/y in January-April

In January-April 2025, Austrian steelmakers reduced steel production by 6% compared to the same period in 2024, to 2.38 million tons. Thus, the country was ranked 22nd in the global steel producer ranking by WorldSteel.

At the same time, the rate of decline in the steel industry is slowing down, as it amounted to 7.1% y/y in the first quarter. In April, the country’s steelmakers produced 615 thousand tons of steel, down 2.7% compared to April 2024.

Voestalpine AG, the country’s key steelmaker, emphasizes problems with production costs and competitiveness. In particular, the company recently appealed to the authorities to renew the mechanism for compensating the cost of electricity for energy-intensive enterprises.

Voestalpine CEO Herbert Eibensteiner warned that high electricity costs are forcing European customers to look for cheaper suppliers, and Voestalpine is losing customers.

In general, EU steelmakers reduced steel production by 2.6% y/y – to 11.1 million tons in April 2025, and by 2.4% y/y – to 43.5 million tons in January-April.

As GMK Center reported earlier, Austria produced 7.1 million tons of steel in 2024, which is the same as in 2023. The country was ranked 23rd in the global ranking of steel-producing countries, up from 22nd in 2022.

There are 2 Voestalpine steel plants in Austria, including Voestalpine Stahl Linz with an annual capacity of 6 million tons of steel and Voestalpine Stahl Donawitz with 1.57 million tons per year.