Deliveries of finished lubricants in Germany fell 25% in September compared to the same month of 2023, adding to the market’s decline this year.
Domestic deliveries of finished lubes, including process oils, amounted to 35,679 metric tons in September, compared to 47,74 tons 12 months earlier, according to the latest data from the Federal Office for Economic Affairs and Export Control.
Germany is one of the largest economies and lubricant markets in Europe, but demand has shrunk this year as the country hovered on the brink of recession. Several of the continent’s other biggest economies are similarly sagging.
Through the first nine months of the year, lube deliveries totaled 396,324 tons, down 12% from 448,418 tons for the same span last year.
The market’s biggest product category, automotive engine oils, had one of the biggest declines, shrinking 33% year to year to 11,331 tons. Deliveries of automatic transmission fluids and other automotive gear oils shrank 7% and 1%, respectively, to 3,934 tons and 2,503 tons.
Only two of the product categories broken out by the office experienced a year-to-year increase. Deliveries of compressor oils rose 7% to 885 tons, while deliveries of non-automotive grease rose 6% to 1,738 tons.