Steel sales in Germany fell by 13% m/m in August – BDS

The Association recorded a decline in sales in all segments

The association recorded a decline in sales across all segmentsIn August 2025, the German steel market experienced another significant decline. According to the steel trade association Bundesverband Deutscher Stahlhandel (BDS), total sales amounted to 747,500 tonnes, which is 13% less than in July and 6.8% less than in August 2024. The decline affected all product categories, confirming continued weak demand in key market segments.

Sales of long products fell by 13% month-on-month and 1% year-on-year to 236.7 thousand tons, while flat products fell by 12% month-on-month and 10% year-on-year to 438.6 thousand tons. Sales of other products fell by 17% MoM and 4.1% YoY to 72.2 thousand tons.

Steel inventories also showed a downward trend. In total, they amounted to 1.87 million tons, which is 1.1% less than in July and 2.7% lower than last year. Long products inventories decreased by 2.1% month-on-month but were 4.7% higher year-on-year, while flat products inventories decreased by 0.1% month-on-month and 6% year-on-year to 1.18 million tons. Other types of products lost 18% MoM and 13% y/y.

In parallel with the decline in sales, production continued to fall in August. Steel production in Germany fell by almost 11% y/y – to 2.57 million tons. This indicates that serious challenges remain for producers, who face high costs, pressure on margins, and weak demand throughout 2025.

As GMK Center reported earlier, Germany is among the world’s ten largest steel producers according to World Steel. At the end of 2024, the country increased its steel output by 5.2% compared to 2023, to 37.23 million tons. Pig iron production for the year amounted to 24.33 million tons (+2.9% y/y), and hot-rolled steel production amounted to 31.61 million tons (+3% y/y).

Despite the growth in steel production, smelting volumes remained below the 40 million ton threshold for the third consecutive year, which corresponds to the level of recession, according to WVStahl.