German manufacturing order backlogs experienced a slight decrease in July 2025, preliminary data released by the Statistical Federal Office (Destatis) indicates. Seasonally and calendar-adjusted, the real order backlog fell by 0.1 percent compared to June 2025.
However, when compared to July 2024, the order backlog rose by a more substantial 4.3 percent, adjusted for calendar variations.
The marginal decline in the order backlog when viewed against the previous month is largely attributable to a decrease within the automotive industry, which saw a seasonally and calendar-adjusted drop of 1.9 percent. This negative influence was partially offset by a positive contribution from the manufacturing of data processing equipment, electronic and optical products, which increased by 1.6 percent.
Outstanding orders from domestic sources decreased by 0.7 percent in July 2025 compared to June 2025. Conversely, orders originating from abroad rose slightly, increasing by 0.2 percent.
The order backlog coverage, representing the number of months it would take to fulfill existing orders at the current production rate, edged down to 7.8 months in July, compared to 7.9 months in June 2025. Producers of capital goods maintained a coverage of 10.7 months, while those manufacturing intermediate goods stood at 4.3 months and producers of consumer goods reported 3.6 months.
The volume of outstanding orders remained unchanged for manufacturers of intermediate goods (0.0 percent) compared to June 2025. Producers of capital goods saw a decrease of 0.4 percent, while those producing consumer goods experienced a rise of 1.5 percent.