In December last year, Germany’s crude steel output decreased by 2.3 percent year on year to 2.6 million metric tons, according to the information provided by the German steel federation Wirtschaftsvereinigung Stahl (WV Stahl). In 2023, crude steel production in Germany fell by 3.9 percent year on year to 35.4 million mt due to weak demand and high electricity prices, marking the lowest production volume since the financial crisis in 2009.
Germany’s pig iron output amounted to 1.94 million mt in December last year, down 2.8 percent, while in 2023 it decreased by 0.9 percent to 23.6 million mt, both year on year.
The country’s hot rolled steel output increased by 6.0 percent to 2.27 million mt in December, while falling by 3.6 percent to 30.64 million mt in 2023, both year on year.
Electrical steel production fell particularly drastically last year. With a decline of around 11 percent to 9.8 million mt, the volume even fell below the low point during the financial market crisis. Kerstin Maria Rippel, general manager of the Germany Steel Association, stated commented, “The annual balance of steel production in Germany clearly shows that the situation for the steel industry - and especially electrical steel production - is very serious. There is still an urgent need for political action here: this is particularly acute when it comes to the still uncompetitive electricity costs, which, with transmission network fees that have doubled since the beginning of the year, are higher than ever before.”