According to preliminary data from the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), the index of adjusted industrial orders in March 2026 rose by 5.0% compared to February 2026, when measured in seasonal and calendar adjusted terms. When large, single orders were excluded from the calculation, the rise was even stronger at 5.1%, representing the highest recorded level since February 2023.
However, when comparing the current quarter to the previous year, the sector saw a decline. In the less volatile three-month comparison, overall orders fell by 4.1% in the first quarter of 2026 compared to the fourth quarter of 2025, a drop attributed to a very high volume of large orders recorded at the end of 2025. Even after accounting for the large orders, which boosted the index, the three-month comparison saw a 1.6% increase. Furthermore, the preliminary figures revised for February 2026 showed a 1.4% increase compared to January 2026 (up from a preliminary 0.9% increase).
The positive momentum in new orders across the industrial sector in March 2026 was widespread, positively impacting nearly every economic sector. The largest contributors to the overall growth were the manufacturing of electrical equipment, which increased by 21.5% month-over-month (seasonally and calendar adjusted), followed by mechanical engineering, which grew by 6.9%, and the production of data processing, electronic, and optical goods, which rose by 14.4%.
In terms of product groups, orders for capital goods increased by 2.1% month-over-month, while orders for intermediate goods increased more strongly by 9.2%. Consumer goods saw a respectable rise of 7.3%.
On the international front, foreign orders in March 2026 climbed by 5.6%. This growth was driven by stronger demand from the Eurozone (+10.1%) and an improved increase of 2.7% from non-Eurozone countries. Domestic orders also rose favorably by 4.0%.
Separately, real revenue in the industrial sector for March 2026 was 0.7% higher than the previous month (seasonally and calendar adjusted). Comparing it to March 2025, however, the revenue was 2.0% lower in calendar terms. For February 2026, the official data indicated a general decline of 1.3% compared to January 2026 (this revision followed an initial preliminary figure showing a decline of 0.5%).