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European Steel Production Mixed: Italian Surge Offsets German Decline, Global Stainless Steel Up

Europe’s steel market presents a mixed picture. While Italy increased steel production by 8.9% m/m in May,” indicating regional strength, this is contrasted by Germany reduced steel production by 6.4% y/y in May,” highlighting ongoing challenges in the continent’s largest economy. The news about Global stainless steel production increased by 6.2% y/y in Q1 suggests a generally healthy global market with potential positive spillovers to Europe, even though no explicit relationship between that news article and any plant activity was established.

Here’s a look at recent plant activity:

Bar chart and satellite map of steel production activity in Europe

The “Mean Steelplant Activity in Europe” has varied greatly across the monitored period, showing sharp fluctuations, although the numbers are implausible and therefore without merit for further analysis. Donetsksteel Metallurgical Plant shows a consistent, gradual increase in activity over the period. Ural Steel Metallurgical Plant’s activity is considerably higher than Donetsksteel, but declines steadily from January to June. ISD Dunaferr shows a gradual, stable increase in activity, but at a lower overall level.

Donetsksteel Metallurgical Plant, an integrated (BF) plant located in Donetsk (Ukraine) with a 1.5 million ton iron capacity via BF, demonstrates a consistent but gradual activity increase from 20% in January 2025 to 22% in June 2025. Considering the ongoing geopolitical situation, this increase is noteworthy, but no direct correlation with the provided news articles can be explicitly established.

Ural Steel Metallurgical Plant, located in the Orenburg region (Russian Federation), is an integrated (BF) plant with a 1.6 million ton crude steel capacity (EAF) and a 2.7 million ton iron capacity (BF). Its activity decreased from 46% in January 2025 to 35% in June 2025. This decline does not directly correspond to any specific news article provided, so a clear explanation cannot be derived.

ISD Dunaferr Dunaújváros steel plant, an integrated (BF) plant in Hungary, shows a gradual increase in activity from 12% in January 2025 to 15% in June 2025. The plant has a crude steel capacity of 1.6 million tons (BOF) and an iron capacity of 1.3 million tons (BF). This steady increase does not directly correlate to any specific news item.

Evaluated Market Implications:

The opposing trends indicated by “Italy increased steel production by 8.9% m/m in May” and “Germany reduced steel production by 6.4% y/y in May” point to potentially localized supply and demand shifts within Europe.

Recommended Procurement Actions:

  • Steel buyers focused on the Italian market: Given the reported increase in Italian steel production, consider exploring opportunities to negotiate more favorable pricing or secure increased supply from Italian steel producers. Conversely, consider alternative markets.
  • Steel buyers reliant on German production: Monitor the situation closely, and explore diversifying your supply base to mitigate potential disruptions caused by the ongoing decline in German steel output. Consider increasing orders from Italian or non-European sources.