The real order backlog within Germany’s manufacturing industry rose by 1.0 percent in February 2026 compared to January 2026, adjusted for both seasonality and calendar effects. According to preliminary figures released by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) on Monday, the volume increased by 7.5 percent year-over-year, adjusted for calendar variations.
This overall growth was significantly supported by developments in the automotive industry, which saw an increase of 3.8 percent month-over-month (seasonally and calendar-adjusted). Growth was also noted in other vehicle construction, covering airplanes, ships, trains, and military vehicles, which rose by 0.9 percent. Furthermore, the manufacturing of data processing equipment, electronics, and optical products contributed positively to the total result with a 2.0 percent rise.
Examining the specifics of incoming orders, domestic backlogs increased by 0.7 percent between January and February 2026, while the backlog of foreign orders rose by 1.1 percent.
Analyzing the backlog by product type, manufacturers of investment goods saw an increase of 1.2 percent compared to January 2026. In contrast, the backlog for intermediate goods declined by 0.2 percent, while the manufacturing of consumer goods saw a robust increase of 2.4 percent, bolstered by a major contract in technical textile production.
When assessing the capacity or coverage of these backlogs (the number of months of production covered), the figure reached 8.6 months in February 2026, up from 8.3 months the previous month. For investment goods manufacturers, the backlog coverage expanded to 12.0 months (up from 11.5 months in January). Coverage remained stable at 4.5 months for intermediate goods producers. Finally, for consumer goods manufacturers, the backlog coverage rose to 3.8 months (an increase from 3.6 months in January).