The German Steel Association reported in its annual report that the crisis in Germany’s steel industry deepened in 2025, with only 34.1 million tons of crude steel produced—the lowest level since the global financial crisis year of 2009, when output stood at 32.7 million tons.
The association noted that production declined by 8.6% compared with 2024, while capacity utilization fell below the critical threshold of 70%, according to the German News Agency (dpa).
It added that, for the fourth consecutive year, output remained well below the 40-million-ton level, which the industry considers the minimum threshold for economically viable capacity utilization.
Germany is the largest steel producer in Europe, and the country’s biggest steelmaking hub is the city of Duisburg, where Thyssenkrupp Steel and HKM produce steel.