Press release No. 149 of 17 April 2025
Producer prices of industrial products (domestic sales), March 2025
-0.2% on the same month a year earlier
-0.7% on the previous month
WIESBADEN – The producer prices of industrial products were 0.2% lower in March 2025 than in March 2024. In February 2025, the year-on-year change rate was +0.7%. The Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) also reports that producer prices in March 2025 dropped by 0.7% compared with the previous month.
In March 2025, lower energy prices were the main reason for the year-on-year decline in producer prices. By contrast, non-durable and durable consumer goods, capital goods and intermediate goods were more expensive than in the same month of the previous year. When energy prices are excluded, producer prices in March 2025 rose by 1.4% on the same month of the previous year and by 0.2% compared with February 2025.
Energy prices down year on year and month on month
Energy prices in March 2025 fell by 3.6% from the same month a year earlier. Compared with February 2025, energy prices dropped by 2.8%. Lower electricity prices had the biggest influence on the year-on-year rate of change for energy. Across all customer groups, electricity prices declined by 4.3% from March 2024 (-5.2% from February 2025).
Natural gas (distribution) cost 3.6% less than in the same month a year earlier (-1.5% from February 2025), and district heating cost 1.9% less than in March 2024 (unchanged from February 2025).
Mineral oil product prices were down 5.8% compared with March 2024 (-3.4% from February 2025). Heating oil cost 12.1% less than a year earlier (-7.5% compared with February 2025). Motor fuel prices were down 6.1% (-4.0% from February 2025).
Price increases for capital goods, non-durable and durable consumer goods
Capital goods prices in March 2025 were up 1.9% year on year (+0.1% on February 2025). Machinery cost 2.0% more than in March 2024. The prices of motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers increased by 1.4% compared with March 2024.
Non-durable consumer goods cost 2.6% more in March 2025 than in March 2024 (+0.3% on February 2025). Food was 2.9% more expensive than in March 2024 (+0.3% on February 2025). Compared with the same month of the previous year, butter prices were much higher (+28.4%), but were down 4.4% from the previous month. Year on year, higher prices were also recorded for coffee (+35.2%; +9.2% on February 2025), beef (+26.4%; +4.3% on February 2025), and vegetable oils (+18.7%; +3.1% on February 2025). By contrast, lower prices than in the same month a year earlier were recorded in March 2025 especially for sugar (-37.9%) and pork (-15.0%).
Durable consumer goods cost 1.3% more in March 2025 than a year earlier (+0.2% on February 2025).
Slight price increase for intermediate goods compared with March 2024
Intermediate goods prices were 0.5% higher in March 2025 than a year earlier and up 0.3% on the previous month.
Price increases compared with March 2024 were observed for paper and paper products (+3.6% on the same month a year earlier), for example. Prepared feeds for farm animals were 6.2% more expensive than in the previous year (+0.4% on February 2025).
Wood and products of wood and cork were 4.0% more expensive than in March 2024 (+1.0% on February 2025). Coniferous timber prices rose by 11.5% compared with March 2024 (+2.0% on February 2025). By contrast, the prices of non-coniferous timber were down 5.6% year on year (+0.1% on February 2025).
The prices of metals were up 0.6% year on year (unchanged from February 2025). Copper and semi-finished copper products cost 5.6% more than in March 2024. Compared with February 2025, the prices of these products were down 1.6%. By contrast, basic iron, steel and ferro-alloys cost 6.9% less than in March 2024 (+0.5% on February 2025). The prices of reinforcing steel declined by 3.3% year on year (+1.3% on February 2025).
The prices of glass and glass products were down 3.9% compared with the same month a year earlier (+0.2% on February 2025), shaped and processed flat glass cost 2.3% less than in March 2024 (+0.6% on February 2025). Hollow glass was 7.7% less expensive than in March 2024 (-0.1% compared with February 2025).
Methodological notes:
The producer price index for industrial products measures the development of prices for products produced and sold in Germany by the mining and quarrying, manufacturing, and energy and water supply sectors. All charges and taxes on goods are included, except value-added tax. The index therefore reflects price developments at an early stage of the economic process. The 15th of each reference month is the survey reference date. The current base year of the producer price index for industrial products is 2021. The basket of goods and the index weighting refer to this base year.
More information:
The statistical report (only in German) on producer price indices of industrial products (domestic sales) also includes the latest results. Long time series for the overall index are also available in the table on producer price indices for industrial products (61241-0002) and for sub-indices in the table on producer price indices for industrial products (61241-0004) in the GENESIS-Online database.
Information on CO₂ pricing under the Fuel Emission Allowance Trading Act is provided on the "Producer price index for industrial products" page.
Producer prices of industrial products can also be found on the Economic Dashboard, which is part of Dashboard Germany (www.dashboard-deutschland.de) (only in German). In this data portal, the Federal Statistical Office brings together up-to-date indicators from official statistics producers and other data providers on the topics of the economy, finance, the labour market, construction, housing, energy and Ukraine. The portal also contains the Economic Pulse Monitor (only in German) tool for real-time economic monitoring.
