The German scrap market seems to have somewhat returned to normal in terms of material availability in March, after a colder-than-average winter that had slowed down both scrap generation and the domestic logistics segment.
Although climatic factors are contributing to the improvement of local scrap trade in Germany, the war in the Middle East continues to exert an impact. "[The war] is influencing energy markets, driving up prices and increasing cost pressure, particularly in energy-intensive industries such as steel production, transport and logistics," a major German association reported, adding, " These increased costs cannot be passed on in such a short time, but remain with scrap dealers, enormously increasing additional cost pressure."
In any case, the local scrap market in Germany has remained unchanged overall in March, with only some upward to downward adjustments depending on the region and scrap category. These maneuvers were much needed to bring the local scrap market in Germany back to homogeneity after February’s high rises.
As for exports, the Turkish market in particular has remained rather static in the current month, which, according to one market player, would also justify the €9.5/mt drop seen in the E3 scrap price provided by BDSV. "This category is involved in exports to Turkey, so the decline makes sense," the source said. Another source disagreed, saying that this indication is only confusing the market.
Be that as it may, ex-warehouse scrap prices for the month of March in Germany recorded by BDSV have shown an overall stable trend compared to February, with the exception of the two main categories, E1 and E3, which have instead recorded a decline, albeit moderate.
Finally, according to sources, collection prices of HMS I/II 80:20 scrap at Germany’s export yards are standing at around €270/mt DAP.
The prices are provided by Bundesvereinigung Deutscher Stahlrecycling-und Entsorgungsunternehmen e.V. and are average prices for domestic transactions across Germany in the first 20 days of the given month.
E2/E8, E40 and E5M scrap have shown negligible increases, ranging from €0.1-2.5/mt month on month, while E1 and E3 have recorded decreases of €3.8/mt and €9.5/mt month on month, respectively. On year-on-year basis, however, the decrease is extended to all scrap categories, standing in a range of €16.7-44.0/mt.
| Scrap grade | Price: March 2026 (€/mt) | Price: February 2026 (€/mt) | Price: March 2025 (€/mt) | M-o-m change (€/mt) | Y-o-y change (€/mt) |
| E1 - Old steel scrap | 256.9 | 260.7 | 285.1 | -3.8 | -28.2 |
| E2/E8 - New steel scrap | 303.0 | 302.9 | 330.0 | +0.1 | -27.0 |
| E3 - Heavy old steel scrap | 282.0 | 291.5 | 326.0 | -9.5 | -44.0 |
| E40 - Shredded scrap | 300.0 | 298.8 | 329.9 | +1.2 | -29.9 |
| E5M - Steel turnings | 258.2 | 255.7 | 274.9 | +2.5 | -16.7 |
Specifications:
E1 - Old steel scrap: thickness ≥ 4 mm, maximum dimensions 1.5 m x 0.5 m x 0.5 m
E2/E8 - New steel scrap: maximum dimensions 1.5 m x 0.5 m x 0.5 m
E3 - Heavy old steel scrap: thickness ≥ 6 mm, maximum dimensions 1.5 m x 0.5 m x 0.5 m
E40 - Shredded scrap: excluding incinerator steel scrap and collection scrap; density ≥ 1,1 mt/m3, Fe ≥ 92%
E5M - Turnings: excluding iron and automatic steel turnings
