During the first few months of this year, 5 macro-trends characterized the steel sector in the European Union. According to recent analyses by the siderweb Research Department, EU steel output, exports, and prices showed a slight decline, while imports and apparent consumption increased.
Slight Decline in Production
In May 2026, crude steel production in the European Union stood at 11.4 million tonnes, marking a slight year-on-year decrease. The change was a -0.4% trend. Within this context, Germany closed the month with 3.2 million tonnes (+7.3% compared to May 2025), and Italy reached 2 million tonnes (+3.1% compared to the same month in 2025).
Significant growth in imports
Data for April 2026 (the latest available) show that the European Union imported a total of 6.3 million tonnes of steel from non-EU countries, representing a 15.2% year-on-year increase. The sharpest increase in purchases was seen in semi-finished products (+72%), followed by tubes at approximately +25%, flat products at +13.5%, and raw materials at +2.7%. In contrast, arrivals of long products contracted, recording a -17.6% drop.
Exports on the decline
Regarding exports to non-European markets, total volume reached approximately 3.1 million tonnes, down 1.7% year-on-year. The only positive change involved raw materials (+18.6%), while all other sectors posted declines: long products (-8.0%), flat products (-15.5%), tubes (-22.7%), and, most drastically, semi-finished products (-56.8%).
Apparent consumption on the rise
Using the previous data, the siderweb Research Department calculated the EU's apparent steel consumption, the indicator of how much steel remains within EU territory considering production levels, purchases, and sales to third countries. The figure for April 2026 showed a +6.3% increase compared to the same month in 2025.
Prices Under Pressure
Finally, by June 2026, the upward momentum from the previous period had faded on international steel markets. The price of rebar (North Europe ex-works basis), after peaking between May and early June, entered a downward phase. A negative correction also continued for hot-rolled coils (HRC), which – after surpassing 700 euros per ton between April and May – showed a steady decline throughout June. Quotations for German scrap metal remained stable during the sixth month of the year.
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