Germany's steel product sales totaled 727,500 tonnes in August 2026, dropping 17.8% month on month and 2.7% year on year, according to data from the German Steel Distributors' Association (BDS).

August sales declined across all product categories. Flat steel sales by German distributors reached 414,000 tonnes, down 18.4% on the month and 5.6% year on year. Long product sales stood at 250,100 tonnes, falling 14.7% month on month but climbing 5.7% year on year, making long products the sole segment posting annual sales growth.

The "other metal products" category, covering pipes and special steel goods, saw the sharpest downturn. Its August sales came in at 63,400 tonnes, sliding 24.9% month on month and 12.3% compared to the previous year.

The data signals persistently weak domestic demand in Germany. Distributor steel inventories remained stable despite lower sales. Total stocks held by German distributors at end-August were 1.91 million tonnes, edging up 0.1% from the prior month and 3.1% year on year.

Notably, German steel mills lifted steel output by 1.7% year on year to 2.59 million tonnes in August 2026, though the volume dipped 3.2% month on month. Hot-rolled steel production rose 4.1% on the year but fell 7.2% on the month to 2.36 million tonnes.