Germany’s finished lubricants demand, including process oils, decreased 6% in August, although several categories experienced double-digit year-on-year percentage increases, including motor oil, turbine oil, transformer oil and greases for cars.
Lubricant sales in Germany declined to 47,944 metric tons in August, compared to 51,128 tons in the same month last year, according to Germany’s Federal Office of Economics and Export Control.
The largest declines occurred in hydraulic oils, industrial gear oils and metalworking fluids.
Hydraulic oil demand slipped 40% to 4,709 tons, and industrial gear oils consumption dropped 32% to 1,488 tons. Among metalworking fluids, water-miscible oils fell by 38% to 1,161 tons, non-water miscible oils demand also dropped 38% to 992 tons, and anti-corrosion oils consumption declined 30% to 212 tons.
Gear oils for cars showed a 9% decline to 2,686 tons, and automatic transmission fluid consumption was down 1% to 3,852 tons.
Overall grease demand for the month decreased 7% to 2,088 tons.
Among lubricant categories with upswings, turbine oils posted the largest increase, 47%, to 378 tons. Transformer oil demand jumped 38% to 1,162 tons, and motor oil consumption rose 15% to 17,607 tons.
Lubricant types with smaller increases included greases for cars, an 8% increase to 513 tons, and compressor oils, up 6% at 1,056 tons.
Process oil consumption increased 6% to 8,284 tons.