Germany's stockholding distributors reported a slight decline in sales during the first half of 2024, with a total of 5.016 million tonnes of steel products sold. This figure represents a decrease of approximately 100,000 tonnes compared to the same period in 2023. The sales were relatively consistent across the two quarters, with 2.469 million tonnes sold in Q1 and 2.448 million tonnes in Q2.
The average monthly sales volume was 816,000 tonnes, with long products accounting for 250,000 tonnes per month and flat products for 495,000 tonnes. Miscellaneous products, such as wire rod, made up the remaining 71,000 tonnes. June 2024 sales were nearly identical to those in June 2023, both registering around 830,000 tonnes.
Inventory levels also showed a slight decrease, with an average of 1.964 million tonnes in Q1 and 1.948 million tonnes in Q2. Long product inventories in Q2 were 637,000 tonnes, flat products totaled 1.267 million tonnes, and miscellaneous products accounted for 44,000 tonnes. This is a notable drop from the monthly average inventory of over 2.18 million tonnes seen until the end of 2022.
