Compared with July, the figure fell by 3.2%

German steelworks increased steel production by 1.7% y/y in August 2026, reaching 2.59 million tonnes. Compared with the previous month, the figure fell by 3.2%. This is according to data from the German Steel Industry Association (WV Stahl).

The industry association attributes the slowdown in steel production in the country to persistently weak demand. The sharp decline, which began in July, continued into August.

Oxygen converters produced 1.87 million tonnes of steel over the month, which is 2% down year-on-year but 2.2% up compared with July. Steel production in electric arc furnaces for the period totalled 720,000 tonnes, up 13% year-on-year but down 15.1% month-on-month.

Pig iron production in August reached 1.65 million tonnes, down 5.5% year-on-year and 0.6% m/m Hot-rolled steel production for the period rose by 4.1% year-on-year, but fell by 7.2% month-on-month to 2.36 million tonnes.

Over the first eight months, steel production in the country reached 23.9 million tonnes, an increase of 6.3% compared with the same period last year. 16.5 million tonnes were produced in basic oxygen furnaces (+7.2% year-on-year), and 7.4 million tonnes in electric arc furnaces (+4.3% year-on-year). In January–August, 14.9 million tonnes of pig iron were produced, a 5.7% increase year-on-year, and 21 million tonnes of rolled steel products (+4.2% year-on-year).

It should be noted that, by the end of 2025, Germany had reduced its steel production by 8.6% compared with 2024 — to 34.09 million tonnes. Last year, 23.64 million tonnes of steel were produced in basic oxygen furnaces (-10.7% year-on-year), and 10.44 million tonnes in electric arc furnaces (-3.5% year-on-year). Pig iron production over the 12-month period fell by 10.1% year-on-year, to 21.87 million tonnes. Rolled steel production decreased by 5.5% year-on-year, to 29.76 million tonnes.