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Europe Steel Market Signals Mixed Output; Spain & Belgium Rise, Sweden Dips Amidst Maintenance

Europe’s steel market presents a mixed landscape. Activity changes in several European countries correlate with recent news. Specifically, Spain increased steel production by 11.6% m/m in October and Belgium increased steel production by 3.4% m/m in October provide context for overall European production trends. While no direct connection to specific plants can be established, the news suggests a general increase in activity in these regions. However, Steel production in Sweden decreased in September and October indicates a contrasting trend, attributed by Jernkontoret to maintenance shutdowns.

Bar chart and satellite map of steel production activity in Europe

The table shows fluctuating activity levels across the observed steel plants. The Mean Steelplant Activity in Europe generally decreased from June to October. AG der Dillinger Hüttenwerke Dillingen steel plant (Germany) saw a steady increase from 27.0% in June to 39.0% in October. Diósgyőr Steelworks Miskolc (Hungary) showed variable activity, peaking at 12.0% in July and then showing no data for October. Voestalpine Stahl Donawitz steel plant (Austria) maintained relatively stable activity, fluctuating between 33.0% and 36.0%.

AG der Dillinger Hüttenwerke, a German integrated steel plant with a capacity of 2.76 million tons of crude steel produced via the BOF process, has shown a consistent increase in activity. Its activity rose from 27% in June to 39% in October. While “Spain increased steel production by 11.6% m/m in October” and “Belgium increased steel production by 3.4% m/m in October” suggest positive trends in the region, no direct link between these reports and AG der Dillinger Hüttenwerke’s activity can be established.

Diósgyőr Steelworks Miskolc, a Hungarian electric arc furnace (EAF) plant with a capacity of 550,000 tons of crude steel, exhibited fluctuating activity, peaking in July at 12% and then ceasing to report data in October. No news articles directly explain this specific downtime, and therefore, a direct cause cannot be established based on the provided information.

Voestalpine Stahl Donawitz, an Austrian integrated steel plant using the BOF process with a capacity of 1.57 million tons of crude steel, shows stable activity levels between 33% and 36% from June to October. These stable levels do not directly correlate with any of the provided news articles, thus no connection can be established.

Given the increase in activity at AG der Dillinger Hüttenwerke, potential buyers may experience increased availability of heavy-plate products and structural steels, especially those seeking ResponsibleSteel certified materials. However, considering the maintenance-related shutdowns cited in “Steel production in Sweden decreased in September and October”, buyers should be prepared for potential supply chain bottlenecks within Northern Europe. Steel buyers should leverage the increased output in Spain and Belgium reported in “Spain increased steel production by 11.6% m/m in October” and “Belgium increased steel production by 3.4% m/m in October” when negotiating contracts. For buyers who rely on supply from Diósgyőr Steelworks Miskolc, consider seeking alternative suppliers due to the observed activity drop in October. The lack of recent data from this plant introduces uncertainty into the supply chain.