Interfer

What Interfer does

Interfer Edelstahl Handelsgesellschaft mbH is a privately held German steel trading group headquartered in Karlsruhe and founded in 1986. The company operates as a B2B wholesale distributor of steel products and integrated trading services, sourcing steel bars, wire rods, flat products, ferroalloys, graphite electrodes, and raw materials for steel production from global producers and delivering them to industrial manufacturers across more than 80 countries. Interfer is positioned as one of the most important importers of steel bars to Europe and serves at least eight primary industrial verticals, including mechanical processing, machinery construction, automotive, energy production, ship construction, oil and gas, tool construction, and steel mills. The group operates through 9 locations across 7 countries — Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, the United States, Italy, the United Kingdom, and China — plus an agent network covering Spain, Portugal, and France.

The company's core business model is transaction-based steel trading: revenue is generated from negotiated, quote-by-quote pricing on individual international trades, supplemented by a vertically integrated service stack that includes sourcing and quality control, global logistics and multi-location warehousing with EDI/API connectivity, customs and CBAM compliance management, and credit-insurance-backed trade financing that allows customers to pay after receipt of goods. The group is wholly owned by Managing Director Gerold Lorenz, who became sole shareholder in 2020, and reports consolidated revenue of €373 million for fiscal year 2024/2025 across 51-100 employees. Recent strategic positioning emphasizes a CO2-reduced Green Steel portfolio (enabled by a 2024 offtake agreement with Meranti Green Steel's planned HBI plant in Oman), CBAM declarant services, and a 42% absolute GHG reduction target by 2030.

Name

Interfer

Legal name

INTERFER Edelstahl Handelsgesellschaft mbH

Website

https://interfer.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Steel Trading & Distribution

NAICS

Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers (425120), Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers (4251)

SIC

Wholesale-Industrial Machinery & Equipment (5084)

akta.pro primary industry

Concentrates & Intermediate Feedstocks Marketing (Concentrates, Cathodes, Anodes, Alumina) (IMAKAJAJ)

Keywords

• Steel trading
• Steel bar imports
• Ferroalloys supply
• Graphite electrodes
• Steel logistics warehousing

Headquarters

HQ city

Karlsruhe

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Steel Trading: INTERFER generates revenue through international steel trading, importing and exporting steel bars, wire rods, flat products, alloys, graphite electrodes, and raw materials for steel production. Revenue is generated through transaction-based pricing on international trade of steel products.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

INTERFER is a global wholesale steel trading group that imports and exports steel bars, wire rods, flat products, alloys, graphite electrodes, and raw materials for steel production. The company operates through a network of 9 locations across 7 countries, offering integrated trading services including sourcing, CO2/CBAM management, customs handling, logistics, warehousing, and trade financing for industrial manufacturers worldwide.

Product overview

INTERFER is a global steel trading group offering a broad portfolio of steel products and integrated trading services. Its core products are steel bars (Stabstahl), wire rods (Walzdraht), flat products (Flachprodukte), alloys/ferroalloys (Legierungen), graphite electrodes, and raw materials for steel production — sourced from worldwide suppliers and compliant with European and international standards. These products are complemented by a suite of services including steel trading (sourcing, CO₂/CBAM management, customs), global logistics, multi-location warehousing with EDI/API connectivity, and trade financing. The group operates across nine locations (Germany/Austria/Czech Republic/USA/Italy/UK/China/Spain) through multiple named subsidiaries and agents, with the parent company INTERFER Edelstahl Handelsgesellschaft mbH (Karlsruhe) serving as the headquarters and primary operating entity.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Steel Bars (Stabstahl) Steel bars including round steel (rolled or peeled), flat/square steel (rolled), forged rings, hollow shafts, and custom forged parts. Offered in standard grades including C15-60E/R, Cf53, S355J2(G3), 16/20MnCr(S)5, 18CrNiMo7-6, 42CrMo(S)4, 31CrMoV9, 34CrNiMo6, 30CrNiMo8, 18CrMoS4, 18CrNiMo5, and 39NiCrMo3. For industrial manufacturers and processors.
• Wire Rods (Walzdraht) Black-rolled wire rod in low, medium, and high carbon content variants, available in alloyed and unalloyed steel grades. Used in concrete reinforcement, drawn/cold-rolled wire production, forging, rope/netting/strand production, and welding wire. For industrial buyers.
• Flat Products (Flachprodukte) Wide-ranging flat products including hot-rolled (unalloyed quality steel per EN 10111, structural steels per EN 10025, micro-alloyed HSLA steels per EN 10149), cold-rolled (EN 10130, EN 10268), hot-dip coated (galvanized, electrolytic, Z/ZA/ZM per DIN 10346), and quarto plates (structural, normalized fine-grained, thermomechanical, high-temperature, high-strength per EN 10025 series). For industrial manufacturers.
• Alloys / Ferroalloys (Legierungen) Ferroalloys including high-carbon and ultra-low phosphorus variants through to low/ultra-low carbon variants, sourced from first-class producers with sustainable, low-CO2 production and short transport routes. Covers ferrochrome as an indispensable alloying element for stainless steel production. For steel mills and stainless steel producers.
• Graphite Electrodes High-quality graphite electrodes for electric arc furnaces and ladle furnaces, manufactured from petroleum coke, needle coke, and pitch, CNC-machined to customer specifications. Offered in Normal Power (NP: 75-600 mm), High Power (HP: 100-300 mm), and Ultra-High Power (UHP: 350-700 mm) grades. Technical support and warranty for product properties and consumption rates provided. For steel mills and foundries.
• Steel Trading Services Comprehensive steel trading service covering sourcing (stable supplier relationships, technical audits, quality control), CO2 management under CBAM requirements, customs handling, import quota management, and financing (credit insurance-backed transactions without down payments). For industrial manufacturers.
• Logistics Services Full-service logistics including global shipping, temporary storage, onward transport, cargo insurance, customs clearance, partner networks with freight forwarders and shipping lines, and EDI/API connectivity for transparent supply chain management. For industrial customers.
• Warehousing Flexible, cost-efficient warehousing at multiple locations with combinable orders, flexible call-off management, EDI/API data exchange, transparent inventory management, and centralized coordination for demand-driven distribution and reduced transport costs. For industrial customers and steel distributors.
• Financing Services Integrated trade financing through partnerships with financial institutions and credit insurers, enabling transactions without down payments or additional collateral when an appropriate credit insurance limit is in place. Payment is made after receipt of goods. For B2B steel buyers.
• Online Steel Calculator

Quantifiable outcome

• CO2 emissions reduction up to 50% compared to standard market emissions values available in portfolio for long and flat products as well as alloys
• +1 more outcomes

Segments10 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Thyssenkrupp Materials TradingcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Long-term offtake partner for Meranti's Duqm HBI project, committed to 1.0 million tonnes per annum of the 2.5 million tonnes per annum first module output.
• GlencorecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Long-term offtake partner for Meranti's Duqm HBI project, securing offtake allocation from the green iron project in Oman.
• Meranti Green SteelcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024INTERFER partnered with Meranti Green Steel in 2024 for the procurement and sale of CO2-reduced steel from the Asia-Pacific region. INTERFER has secured long-term offtake commitments covering 0.25 million tonnes per annum from Meranti's planned 2.5 million tonnes per annum hot briquetted iron plant in Duqm, Oman. This strategic cooperation supports INTERFER's sustainability strategy and Green Steel portfolio expansion.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves21 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Marubeni-Itochu Steel Inc. (MISI): Japanese-headquartered steel distributor and processor with extensive Asia-Pacific footprint and limited European presence. Comparable in business model of intermediating mill output to industrial customers; differs geographically from Interfer's Europe-centric base.
• Metal One Corporation: Japan-based steel and metal products trading company jointly owned by Mitsubishi and Sojitz. Comparable to Interfer as a global steel trader with mill relationships and downstream distribution; operates primarily in Asia vs. Interfer's European core.

Broad incumbents

• Tata Steel Nederland: Dutch arm of Tata Steel with significant steel and flat-product distribution into Western European industrial markets. Competes with Interfer for long and flat product customers in the same end-markets (automotive, construction, machinery).
• thyssenkrupp Materials Services: The distribution arm of thyssenkrupp, one of the largest materials distribution networks in Europe and North America for steel, stainless, and aluminum. Interfer already partners with thyssenkrupp Materials Trading on the Meranti HBI project, evidencing direct overlap in steel distribution channels.
• ArcelorMittal: World's largest steel producer with its own distribution and trading operations reaching European industrial customers directly. Sets pricing reference and competitive benchmark across long and flat products that Interfer trades.
• Salzgitter AG: One of Europe's largest steel producers with integrated trading and processing units serving automotive, construction, and tube markets. Operates a parallel distribution/trading proposition to Interfer, though at significantly larger scale and with primary production exposure.
• Voestalpine AG: Austrian integrated steel and technology group with a Global Commodity Trading division distributing steel and metal products across Europe and overseas. Overlaps with Interfer in Austria-based presence and continental European customer base.

Direct peers

• Stemcor Global Holdings: London-headquartered international steel trading company intermediating between mills and end-users in flat and long products globally. Closely mirrors Interfer's model of cross-border steel intermediation, product breadth, and reliance on logistics/warehousing.
• Klöckner & Co SE: Frankfurt-listed German steel and metal distribution group operating a multi-million-tonne distribution and processing network across Europe and the Americas. Directly comparable to Interfer as a steel/metal wholesale distributor serving industrial end-markets with added services.
• Duferco International Trading Holding: Swiss-based global steel and raw materials trader with offices across Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Comparable in product portfolio (long products, flat, raw materials), distribution model, and reliance on international trade flows.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/interfer-edelstahl-handelsgesellschaft-mbh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments1 record

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

Frequently asked questions about Interfer