Weather disruptions took their toll on Germany’s crude steel production in February as output dropped 10% year on year, according to data published by German steel federation WV Stahl March 22.

The drop to 3.1 million mt in February put an end to the continuous production increase following ramp-up efforts by German mills once steel demand came back in mid-2020.

WV Stahl said the recovery of German steel production remains “volatile.”

The drop in crude steel production could be seen in blast furnace as well as electric arc furnace production. BF-based production decreased 9.9% year on year to 2.1 million mt, while EAF-based output fell 11.3% on year to 991,000 mt. Pig iron production fell 8.4% to 1.9 million mt.

Hot-rolled production fell 5.9% year on year to 2.8 million mt, the data showed.

German mills were severely hampered by adverse weather in February with steelmaker Salzgitter declaring force majeure in February.

Severe disruptions caused rail tracks to block, truck deliveries on hazardous goods temporarily banned and waterways disrupted as well.