SMM7 March 21: German steel mills produced 2.48 million tons of crude steel in June, down 27.3 percent from 3.4 million tons in June 2019, the German Iron and Steel Federation (WV Stahl) said recently.

Production in Germany, Europe's largest steel producer, fell for the sixth month in a row, the third month in a row.

German blast furnace crude steel production fell 35.8 per cent to 1.53 million tons in June from a year earlier, while electric arc furnace crude steel production fell 7.3 per cent to 941000 tons from a year earlier.

German crude steel production fell 26 per cent in the second quarter from a year earlier, compared with a decline of 6 per cent in the first quarter. Crude steel production in the first half of 2020 was 17.46 million tons, down 15.7% from the same period last year.

Pig iron production fell 34.5 per cent to 1.45 million tons in the second quarter compared with the same period last year, and total output in the first half reached 10.9 million tons, down 18.2 per cent from the same period last year, according to the data.

Despite the slow rise in steel prices in northwestern Europe, capacity cuts by German steelmakers continue as industrial production resumes. Production is expected to be further curtailed during the summer vacation as the steel mills will carry out routine maintenance work, coupled with weak demand and extended shutdowns.

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