September has been very subdued in terms of trading activity in the local German scrap market, amid hopes for a recovery that would come after the summer holidays, which did not materialize.
Mills’ capacity utilization rates have recovered since the summer, now standing at around 77 percent, but this figure is still below the average level of the last decade. Their demand has remained on the low side, and September’s negotiations for scrap purchases ended with an average decline of around €10/mt. “Steel production went down and it was reflected in scrap demand from mills. Scrap availability is low, but at the moment demand is even lower than the inflow of scrap,” a source commented.
Another source, on the other hand, reported greater availability of material for sale from scrap dealers, as they are facing financial difficulties and an oversupply of certain scrap grades - such as shredded scrap. According to some rumors in the market, a couple of scrap yards in Germany have had to declare bankruptcy and have stopped their operations.
A pessimistic view is shared by most market participants, who are not expecting a better outlook for the final part of this year. The initial hopes that the new government in Germany might give a boost to local industry are fading, and what they are asking for right now is support from German and European institutions. Another factor that is contributing to the poor market conditions is the “terrible state of logistics and transport”, several sources claimed, adding that domestic railways in particular are facing infrastructure issues and a lack of specialized staff.
As for prices, in the northern and eastern part of Germany scrap prices have dropped by an average of €5-15/mt, whereas in the west, southwest and south of Germany scrap prices have generally remained unchanged or dropped by €5/mt.
According to the latest data provided by Bundesvereinigung Deutscher Stahlrecycling-und Entsorgungsunternehmen e.V, in the first 20 days of September scrap prices decreased by a range of €3.8-14/mt for all grades. On year-on-year basis, scrap prices fell by between €36.2/mt and €50.8/mt except for steel turnings (E5M), which increased by €7.2/mt.
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.
| Scrap grade | Price: September 2025 (€/mt) | Price: August 2025 (€/mt) | Price: September 2024 (€/mt) | M-o-m change (€/mt) | Y-o-y change (€/mt) |
| E1 - Old steel scrap | 227.5 | 231.2 | 271.3 | -3.7 | -43.8 |
| E2/E8 - New steel scrap | 281.8 | 290.7 | 318.0 | -9.0 | -36.2 |
| E3 - Heavy old steel scrap | 270.4 | 284.4 | 315.8 | -14.0 | -45.4 |
| E40 - Shredded scrap | 268.9 | 277.8 | 319.7 | -8.9 | -50.8 |
| E5M - Steel turnings | 263.3 | 240.1 | 256.1 | -3.8 | +7.2 |
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