Austria Steel Output Rises 0.6% M/M in August
Austrian crude steel production edged higher month over month in August 2026 to 657,236 tonnes, although output remained 2.1% below the year-earlier level. January-August production reached 5.11 million tonnes, outperforming the broader EU trend.
- August output: Austria produced 657,236 tonnes of crude steel.
- Month over month: Production increased 0.6%.
- Year over year: August output remained 2.1% lower.
- January-August: Austrian production reached 5.11 million tonnes, up from 4.98 million tonnes a year earlier.
- EU comparison: EU-27 crude steel output fell 0.3% year over year to 84.5 million tonnes in January-August.
Austria's August reading was softer than a year earlier, but the more useful signal is the cumulative trend. January-August output was approximately 2.6% above the comparable 2025 level, while EU-27 production declined 0.3%. That divergence suggests Austrian mills have maintained a firmer production pace than the wider bloc so far in 2026, even though the latest monthly figure does not yet show renewed year-over-year growth.
Austria produced 657,236 tonnes of crude steel in August 2026, an increase of 0.6% from July, according to World Steel Association data reported by Kallanish.
Compared with August 2025, however, Austrian crude steel production declined by 2.1%.
Kallanish reported that Austria remained 22nd among global crude steel-producing countries during the month.
Austria Outperforms EU Trend in January-August
Austrian crude steel production totaled approximately 5.11 million tonnes during January-August 2026.
That compares with 4.98 million tonnes during the corresponding period of 2025, representing an increase of approximately 2.6%.
| Period | Production | Change |
|---|---|---|
| August 2026 | 657,236 tonnes | +0.6% M/M |
| August 2026 vs. August 2025 | 657,236 tonnes | -2.1% Y/Y |
| January-August 2026 | 5.11 million tonnes | Approx. +2.6% Y/Y |
EU Steel Production Falls 1% in August
Austria's cumulative production increase contrasts with the broader European Union steelmaking trend.
EU-27 crude steel production totaled approximately 8.9 million tonnes in August, down 1.0% year over year, according to worldsteel.
During January-August, EU crude steel output reached approximately 84.5 million tonnes, down 0.3% from the same period in 2025.
| Market | Jan-Aug 2026 | Y/Y Change |
|---|---|---|
| Austria | 5.11 million tonnes | Approx. +2.6% |
| EU-27 | 84.5 million tonnes | -0.3% |
Global Steel Output Declines 1.2%
Global crude steel production also moved lower in August.
The 70 countries reporting to worldsteel produced 144.2 million tonnes during the month, down 1.2% year over year.
January-August global output totaled approximately 1.225 billion tonnes, a decline of 0.7% from the corresponding 2025 period.
Austria's cumulative production increase therefore occurred against modest declines at both the EU and global levels.
voestalpine Advances Donawitz EAF Transition
Austrian producer voestalpine continues to pursue growth in higher-value steel and processing activities while advancing its transition toward electric steelmaking.
The company says the first stage of its new electric arc furnace production route at Donawitz remains on schedule for operation in the first half of 2027.
Current construction at Donawitz includes an EAF facility with two furnace units, identified by voestalpine as EAF 1 and EAF 2.
Voestalpine has also outlined a further expansion of the Donawitz electric-steelmaking system by 2030, subject to outstanding funding issues. The company has approved approximately €100 million for that next phase, which would include additional power infrastructure, secondary metallurgy capacity and expanded scrap logistics.
If completed as planned, the expansion would allow Donawitz to transition fully to electrified steel production from 2030.
Low Danube Levels Have Not Disrupted voestalpine Logistics
Dry weather in Europe pushed Danube water levels to critical levels during the summer, but voestalpine said the conditions were not disrupting its raw-material logistics.
Although the company's main Linz steelworks is located on the Danube, Chief Executive Herbert Eibensteiner said only a relatively small portion of the site's logistics depends on river transport and that additional rail shipments can be used when necessary.
According to company executives cited by Kallanish, voestalpine handles approximately 17 million tonnes of materials annually, with roughly 10% arriving via the Danube.
The group's reliance on rail was reinforced in September when ÖBB Rail Cargo Group said more than 3 million tonnes of raw materials per year are transported through the Slovenian port of Koper to voestalpine's Linz and Donawitz sites.
Primary production source: World Steel Association
Company sources: voestalpine; ÖBB Rail Cargo Group.
Original source: Kallanish.