Germany increased steel production by 15% y/y in January

In January 2026, German steel enterprises increased steel production by 15% compared to January 2025, to 3.08 million tons. Compared to the previous month, the figure increased by 8.5%. This is evidenced by data from the German Steel Industry Association WV Stahl.

Last month, 2.21 million tons of steel were produced in oxygen converters (+19.3% y/y; +16.5% m/m), and 870,000 tons in electric arc furnaces (+5.5% y/y; -7.7% m/m).

Pig iron production in January increased by 18.8% y-o-y and 9.3% m-o-m – to 2.04 million tons. Rolled steel production increased by 3.2% y-o-y and 2.6% m-o-m – to 2.49 million tons.

«Steel production in Germany rose sharply in January 2026. However, there are no signs of a sustained turnaround. A review of the last ten years shows that, despite the current growth, production remains about five percent below the average for this period. Thus, the industry is still operating below its long-term average. The situation remains particularly tense in the electric arc sector, which already has relatively low CO2 emissions. Current production here is approximately eleven percent below the ten-year average,» the association notes.

As a reminder, at the end of 2025, Germany reduced steel production by 8.6% compared to 2024, to 34.09 million tons. Last year, 23.64 million tons of steel (-10.7% y-o-y) were produced in oxygen converters, and 10.44 million tons (-3.5% y-o-y) in electric arc furnaces. Pig iron production fell by 10.1% y-o-y over 12 months, to 21.87 million tons. Rolled steel production decreased by 5.5% y-o-y, to 29.76 million tons.