Cronimet reported a further decline in earnings in 2025 as weak demand, overcapacity in the Asian steel industry and trade tensions weighed on the market. The Karlsruhe-based stainless steel scrap and ferroalloys recycler generated revenue of €2.37bn in the year ended 31 December 2025, down around 10 per cent from just over €2.6bn a year earlier. Operating profit more than halved to €33m from €68m in 2024, while sales volumes remained broadly stable. The company attributed the decline in revenue primarily to lower material prices.
According to Cronimet, the stainless steel sector continued to face significant uncertainty last year. Restrictive US tariff policies, subdued global demand and overcapacity in the Asian steel industry led to lower prices and weaker margins across the sector.
"Through group-wide measures, we were able to strengthen our competitiveness and lay the groundwork for achieving an overall satisfactory result in 2026 despite the prevailing conditions," CEO and majority shareholder Jürgen Pilarsky said.
Battery recycling and ferroalloys investments advance
Cronimet highlighted progress in its battery recycling and ferroalloys businesses as key achievements during the year. The company said a first line of a new battery recycling plant had been successfully commissioned and was currently in the ramp-up phase. Expansion projects in the ferroalloys business were also advanced further, particularly at the group's operations in Brazil.
The battery recycling investment builds on Cronimet's efforts to establish a position in the European battery materials value chain through its subsidiary Revomet. Last year, Chinese battery materials producer CNGR Advanced Materials acquired a 25 per cent stake in Revomet Bitterfeld GmbH, which operates a recycling facility for lithium-ion battery production scrap at the Bitterfeld-Wolfen chemical park in eastern Germany.
Cronimet said its investments in battery recycling and ferroalloys would contribute to diversifying the group's business portfolio while helping to secure raw material supplies for Western industry.
"Moderate market recovery" forecast for 2026
For 2026, Cronimet expects a "moderate market recovery" and forecasts higher revenue and earnings. The company said its strategic focus on sustainability, efficiency improvements and diversification would remain central to its future development.
The group employs around 1,700 people at more than 70 locations worldwide and specialises in the recycling of stainless steel scrap and the production and trading of ferroalloys.
