German manufacturing new orders fell 3.8% in April from March in real, seasonally and calendar-adjusted terms, Destatis said on June 8, after a 5.0% increase in March. Compared with April 2025, orders were up 1.6% on a calendar-adjusted basis, while orders in February through April were down 3.1% from the previous three months.
Excluding large-scale orders, April bookings also fell 3.8%, though the three-month comparison excluding large orders showed a 3.5% increase. The April monthly decline was led by motor vehicles and parts, down 5.3%, electrical equipment, down 16.3%, and machinery and equipment, down 7.4%.
By main industrial grouping, capital goods orders fell 2.9%, intermediate goods orders dropped 4.4%, and consumer goods orders declined 6.7%. Foreign orders decreased 4.2%, with euro-area demand down 11.1% and orders from outside the euro area up 0.8%, while domestic orders fell 2.9%.
Real manufacturing turnover rose 0.1% in April after a 0.7% increase in March. In earlier commentary on March data, German official institutions had noted that monthly orders can be distorted by large contracts and that recent fluctuations had occurred alongside procurement and supply concerns related to the Middle East conflict involving Iran.