Badische Stahlwerke

What Badische Stahlwerke does

Badische Stahlwerke GmbH (BSW) is a privately held German electric steelworks headquartered in Kehl, on the Rhine port directly across from Strasbourg. Founded in 1955 as Süddeutsche Drahtverarbeitungs-GmbH and renamed BSW in 1968, the company operates one of Europe's leading scrap-based electric arc furnace (EAF) steelmaking facilities with authorized production capacity of 2.8 million tonnes per annum. BSW converts scrap steel into finished reinforcing products in approximately four hours through EAF melting at 1,700°C, dual-strand continuous casting, and rolling mill operations including proprietary slit-rolling (multi-strand) technology for coil production.

The company manufactures four core product lines: Betonstahl (reinforcing steel in bars and rings), Walzdraht (wire rod, ~two-thirds of rolling mill output), Stranggussknüppel (continuous cast billets), and Bewehrungsprodukte (reinforcement products). These are sold B2B via direct sales to construction companies, reinforced concrete contractors, steel distributors, and builders merchants across 15+ certified European countries including Germany, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and the UK. BSW sits within the Kehler Unternehmensgruppe, a 12-company corporate group providing vertically integrated reinforcement steel solutions (engineering, plant technology, wire processing, by-products, mesh products, and training).

BSW's revenue model is hardware sales of commodity-grade steel products priced via direct B2B quotes dependent on grade, dimensions, quantity, and delivery terms (no public pricing). The company holds SustSteel, ISO 14001, ISO 50001, EMAS, and ISO 9001 certifications, and is developing a cross-border industrial symbiosis project ('Calorie Kehl-Strasbourg') to supply waste heat to Strasbourg households by winter 2025/2026, signaling diversification into circular-economy revenue streams.

Name

Badische Stahlwerke

Legal name

Badische Stahlwerke GmbH

Website

https://bsw-kehl.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1968

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Badische Stahlwerke GmbH is a privately held German electric steelworks in Kehl that produces over 2 million tonnes annually of reinforcing steel, wire rod, and billets via scrap-based EAF technology, supplying construction companies and steel distributors across 15+ European countries as part of the Kehler Unternehmensgruppe.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Steel Manufacturing

NAICS

Iron and Steel Mills and Ferroalloy Manufacturing (331110), Iron and Steel Mills and Ferroalloy Manufacturing (33111), Primary Metal Manufacturing (331)

SIC

Steel Works, Blast Furnaces & Rolling & Finishing Mills (3310)

akta.pro primary industry

Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) Steelmaking (Incl. DRI/HBI-Based) (IMAKABAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Steel Casting (Continuous Casting, Ingots, Semi-Finished Slabs/Billets/Blooms) (IMAKABAD), Ferrous Scrap Processing & Brokerage (Steel & Cast Iron) (IMAKAMAA)

Keywords

• Reinforcing steel production
• Electric arc furnace steelmaking
• Wire rod manufacturing
• Scrap-based steel production
• Concrete reinforcement products

Headquarters

HQ city

Kehl

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Others

Revenue model

1. Steel product sales: Primary revenue from manufacturing and selling reinforcing steel products including concrete reinforcement steel in bars and rings (Betonstahl), wire rod (Walzdraht), continuous cast billets (Stranggussknüppel), and reinforcement products (Bewehrungsprodukte) to construction industry customers across Europe

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Badische Stahlwerke operates an electric arc furnace (EAF) steelworks producing over 2 million tonnes of steel per year from recycled scrap. Its core offerings are reinforcing steel (Betonstahl) in bars, rings, and coils, wire rod (Walzdraht), and continuous casting billets (Stranggussknüppel) supplied to construction companies, steel distributors, and builders merchants across more than 15 European countries.

Product overview

Badische Stahlwerke GmbH operates as an electric steelworks, producing over 2 million tonnes of steel annually through an electric arc furnace process that converts scrap to finished steel in approximately four hours. The product portfolio centers on reinforcing steel (Betonstahl) in various forms — bars, rings, and coils — as well as wire rod (Walzdraht) and continuous casting billets (Stranggussknüppel). The company also supplies reinforcement products manufactured by affiliated companies within the Kehler Unternehmensgruppe for reinforced concrete construction applications across Europe. The integrated business model encompasses steel production through its own electric steelmaking facilities, with 2 continuous casting lines, followed by rolling mill operations for finished product forms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Betonstahl (Reinforcing Steel in Bars and Rings) High-quality reinforcing steel produced in bars and rings, characterized by superior quality and excellent processing properties for construction applications, supplied in grades B500B, B500C, and B550B for reinforced concrete structures.
• Walzdraht (Wire Rod) Smooth or ribbed BSW wire rod representing approximately two-thirds of total rolling mill production volume, used as input material for bar and wire rolling mills serving downstream wire products manufacturers.
• Stranggussknüppel (Continuous Casting Billets) Continuous casting billets produced on 2 casting lines, serving as the starting material for the bar and wire rolling mills within the integrated steelworks operation.
• Bewehrungsprodukte (Reinforcement Products) Reinforcement products primarily used in reinforced concrete construction, in high demand throughout Europe, produced by companies within the Kehler corporate group for the European construction industry.

Quantifiable outcome

• 50+ years of steel production experience since 1968
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Calorie Kehl-Strasbourg (Cross-border heat company)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture project with Strasbourg to utilize waste heat from BSW's melting furnaces for heating approximately 4,500 Strasbourg households. A pipeline is being constructed under the Rhine river. The state of Baden-Württemberg is participating in the project with scheduled completion by winter 2025/2026. This cross-border industrial symbiosis project demonstrates circular economy principles.
• Kehler Unternehmensgruppe (Kehler Group)coreOthersParent corporate group comprising 12 specialized companies: Badische Stahl-Engineering GmbH (BSE), BSW Anlagentechnik GmbH (BAT), BSW Anlagenbau und Ausbildung GmbH (BAG) - training company, Badische Drahtwerke GmbH (BDW), BSW Stahl-Nebenprodukte GmbH (BSN), BCT Technology AG, Baustahlgewebe GmbH, RSE Reinforcing Steel Europe, and others including MSW Moselstahlwerk, various reinforcement steel production sites.
• BAG (BSW Anlagenbau und Ausbildung GmbH)coreOthersDedicated training company of the BSW group that sets benchmarks for vocational training. Trains 30-40 apprentices annually across the corporate group.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Riva Group: Italian family-owned steelmaker producing reinforcing steel, wire rod, and long products through EAF mills across Italy, France, and Germany (including Stahlwerk Thüringen). Closely comparable to BSW as a European long-products/rebar competitor with similar scrap-based EAF technology and customer base.
• Celsa Group: Spanish-headquartered steel group and one of Europe's largest producers of long products and reinforcing steel, operating EAF-based steel mills. Directly comparable to BSW as a European EAF rebar/wire rod producer with similar customer base in construction and infrastructure.
• Saarstahl: German long-products steelmaker producing wire rod, bar steel, and semi-finished products via EAF. Direct comparable to BSW in product mix, customer base (European automotive, construction, engineering), and scrap-based production process.

Broad incumbents

• Salzgitter AG: German steel producer with a portfolio spanning strip steel, sections, plates, tubes, and trading. Operates the Peine electric steelworks in Germany and competes with BSW in long products, while serving a broader range of end markets.
• Voestalpine: Austrian steel and technology group producing high-quality flat steel, specialty steel, and automotive components. While more focused on higher-value steel products, it competes with BSW in select European long-products markets and represents an analogous broad European steel incumbent.
• ArcelorMittal: Global steel leader with significant European EAF and integrated operations across long products, flat products, and specialty steel. Competes with BSW in rebar and wire rod but operates as a broad incumbent with a much larger and more diversified product portfolio.

Regional players

• SSAB: Nordic steel producer transitioning to fossil-free steel via HYBRIT hydrogen-based EAF technology. Comparable to BSW as a European EAF-based long-products producer, with overlapping customers and a parallel sustainability transformation roadmap.
• Ovako: Swedish specialty steel producer (owned by Nippon Steel) operating EAF-based steel mills producing long products for engineering, automotive, and bearing applications. Comparable in EAF technology and European footprint, though focused on higher-margin specialty segments rather than commodity rebar.
• LIBERTY Steel Group: GFG Alliance-owned steel group with EAF operations across the UK, continental Europe, and Australia. Produces long products and rebar competing with BSW in select European markets, though with a more dispersed and financially constrained asset base.
• Dillinger Hütte: German heavy plate producer and Saarstahl affiliate. Compares to BSW as a German steel producer of similar vintage, though focused on heavy plates for energy, shipbuilding, and infrastructure rather than rebar and wire rod.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/badische-stahlwerke-gmbh

Compliance8 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Badische Stahlwerke