According to preliminary data released by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), the price-adjusted production within the manufacturing sector declined by 0.7% in March 2026 when compared to February 2026, factoring in seasonal and calendar corrections.
On a quarterly basis, production for the period of January to March 2026 was 1.2% lower than in the three months prior. Regarding month-over-month changes, production fell by 0.5% in February 2026 compared to January 2026 (this is a revision of the provisional figure, which had previously stood at -0.3%). When compared to the corresponding month last year, production in March 2026 was 2.8% lower, adjusted for calendar changes.
The drop observed in March 2026 was primarily attributed to declines in energy generation (-4.0%) and mechanical engineering (-2.7%). These declines were counterbalanced by gains in the construction sector (+1.9%) and the automotive industry (+1.9%).
Focusing specifically on core industrial production (the manufacturing sector excluding energy and construction), output fell by 0.9% in March 2026 versus February 2026, adjusting for seasonality and calendar effects. Within this core index, output for capital goods decreased by 1.6%, while consumer goods dropped by 1.9%. Conversely, the production of intermediate goods rose by 0.8%. Compared to March 2025, the core industrial production was 4.1% lower, adjusted for calendar changes.
In more specialized terms, production in energy-intensive industries rose by 1.2% in March 2026 against February 2026, adjusted for seasonal and calendar factors. Furthermore, over the three-month period from January to March 2026, output in energy-intensive industries was 2.1% higher than in the previous quarter. However, when comparing March 2026 to March 2025, the energy-intensive sector recorded a decline of 1.2%, according to the federal authority.