German steel production increased by 8.8% in January-May 2026

According to information provided by the German Steel Federation Wirtschaftsvereinigung Stahl (WV Stahl), in May of this year, German crude steel production increased by 7.3 percent year-on-year to 3.20 million tons. In the first five months of this year, German steel production increased by 8.8 percent year-on-year to 15.70 million tons.

In the specified month, the output of pig iron in Germany amounted to 1.96 million tons, an increase of 6.9 percent, and in January-May it increased by 9.8 percent to 9.89 million tons year-on-year.

In May, the production of hot-rolled steel in the country fell by 0.4 percent to 2.65 million tons, while in the first five months of this year it increased by 4.9 percent to 13.42 million tons compared to the same periods of the previous year.

The Federation stated that, despite the positive developments observed in recent months, it is too early to announce a full recovery. Annual steel production currently stands at 37.7 million tons, remaining below the threshold of 40 million tons, which is generally considered necessary for adequate capacity utilization in the steel industry.