Germany’s crude steel production fell by 27pc to 2.56mn mt in May 2020 from 3.51mn mt in May 2019 due to output adjustments made by the mills owing to weak demand for steel, German steel federation Wirtschaftsvereinigung Stahl said.
A majority of end-automotive manufacturers halted operations in March due to the COVID-19 shutdown in the country. The automotive industry is the second largest steel-consuming sector after construction.
In Jan-May period, crude steel output declined by 13.5pc to 14.98mn mt from the prior year period. Country’s pig iron production fell by 15pc to 9.46mn mt durig this period, while dropped by 30.4pc to 1.54mn mt in May.
The country produced 2.17mn mt of hot-rolled steel in May, down by 28.3pc, while in Jan-May period, the output decreased by 12.2pc to 13.09mn mt over the prior year period.