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German Steel Market Resilient Despite ArcelorMittal Maintenance and Project Halts

Germany’s steel market exhibits underlying resilience despite temporary production adjustments and decarbonization project delays. Activity levels remain robust, although specific disruptions require procurement professionals’ attention. ArcelorMittal’s blast furnace maintenance, detailed in “ArcelorMittal Eisenhüttenstadt to suspend blast furnace operation“, “ArcelorMittal in Eisenhuttenstadt will carry out annual scheduled maintenance work at mine 5A“, “ArcelorMittal Eisenhüttenstadt to implement annual scheduled repair work at BF 5A“, and “ArcelorMittal temporarily stops melting“, coincides with a broader pause in DRI-EAF projects, as reported in “ArcelorMittal halts DRI-EAF projects in the EU“. These news articles directly explain some of the changes in observed activity.

Bar chart and satellite map of steel production activity in Germany

The mean steel plant activity in Germany increased steadily from 15% in December 2024 to a peak of 36% in May 2025, before dropping to 27% in June 2025.

Benteler Steel Tube Lingen plant, located in Lower Saxony, produces tubes, billets, and slabs for the automotive and building sectors using EAF technology and has a crude steel capacity of 650ktpa. The plant shows consistently high activity, peaking at 76% in June 2025. There is no direct connection between this plant’s activity and the ArcelorMittal news.

ESF Elbe Stahlwerke Feralpi Riesa plant in Saxony, with a crude steel capacity of 1400ktpa, produces billets, rods, wire rods, and other shaped products using EAF technology for the automotive and building industries. The plant demonstrates a clear upward trend in activity, reaching 59% in June 2025, significantly above the mean. No direct connection can be established between ESF Elbe Stahlwerke Feralpi Riesa plant news and the activity changes at Arcelor Mittal plants.

Kehler Baden Steel Works, located in Baden-Württemberg, produces wire rod, bar, rebar, and billets for the building and infrastructure sector using two EAFs, boasting a crude steel capacity of 2500ktpa. Its activity is relatively stable, fluctuating between 34% and 39% over the observed period. There is no observable correlation between Kehler Baden Steel Works and any mentioned news items.

Given ArcelorMittal Eisenhüttenstadt’s temporary shutdown of blast furnace 5A (“ArcelorMittal Eisenhüttenstadt to suspend blast furnace operation“, “ArcelorMittal in Eisenhuttenstadt will carry out annual scheduled maintenance work at mine 5A“, “ArcelorMittal Eisenhüttenstadt to implement annual scheduled repair work at BF 5A“, “ArcelorMittal temporarily stops melting“) , steel buyers should anticipate potential short-term regional supply constraints, particularly for products reliant on BOF steelmaking. While the maintenance is scheduled and temporary, the simultaneous halting of DRI-EAF projects (“ArcelorMittal halts DRI-EAF projects in the EU“) introduces uncertainty regarding future low-emission steel availability. Procurement professionals should:

  1. Prioritize securing near-term supply from alternative sources, especially for BOF-produced steel grades potentially affected by the Eisenhüttenstadt maintenance.
  2. Actively monitor the progress of ArcelorMittal’s maintenance to anticipate the full production recovery timeline.
  3. Engage with suppliers like Benteler Steel Tube Lingen plant, ESF Elbe Stahlwerke Feralpi Riesa plant, and Kehler Baden Steel Works to explore opportunities for diversifying supply and leveraging their consistently high activity levels. These EAF-based producers are not directly affected by the ArcelorMittal announcements and may represent stable supply sources.
  4. Re-evaluate long-term procurement strategies to account for potential delays in the availability of low-emission steel, considering the implications of ArcelorMittal’s decision to halt DRI-EAF projects.