Forging & casting

The European foundry industry has begun a new year of 2026 with a slight correction of the
European Foundry Industry Sentiment Index (FISI), published monthly by European Foundry
Federation, which decreased by 0.3 point in January 2026 and reached a level of 95.5 points.
In the countries participating in the monthly survey, the situation on the cast iron market is
stable. On the other hand, there is a negative assessment of the situation in the area of nonferrous
metal castings at the main EU producer, which mainly affected the value of the FISI
indicator. Nevertheless, the forecasts for the coming months look optimistic.

The Business Climate Index (BCI), published by the European Commission, reached -0.38 in
January 2026, compared to the previous reading of -0.56 in December 2025.
The Eurozone Manufacturing PMI in January 2026 reached a level of 49.5 which was an
increase by 0.7 point from the value of 48.8 in December 2025.
_____________________________________________________________
The FISI – European Foundry Industry Sentiment Indicator – is the earliest available composite indicator
providing information on the European foundry industry performance. It is published by EFF every month and is
based on survey responses of the European foundry industry. The EFF members are asked to give their
assessment of the current business situation in the foundry sector and their expectations for the next six months.
The BCI – Business Climate Indicator – is an indicator published by the European Commission. The BCI
evaluates development conditions of the manufacturing sector in the euro area every month and uses five balances
of opinion from industry survey: production trends, order books, export order books, stocks and production
expectations.
Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) - in the Euro area is an indicator of the economic health of the manufacturing
sector. It is based on such indicators as: new orders, inventory levels, production, supplier deliveries and the
employment environment.
Additional information at eff-eu.org/.
Background information on EFF:
EFF is the umbrella organisation of the national European foundry associations. The organisation, founded in 1953,
has 22 European member states and works to promote the economical, technical, legal and social interests of the
European foundry industry. At the same time, EFF implements activities which aim at developing national foundry
industries and co-ordinating their shared international interests. The General Secretariat is situated in Düsseldorf
since 1997.
EFF represents 4 400 European foundries. Nearly 260 000 employees are generating a turnover of 39 billion Euro.
European foundries are recruiting 20 000 workers and engineers per year. The main customer industries are e.g.
the automotive, the general engineering and the building industries as well as the electrical engineering industry.
No industrial sector exists without using casted components.

Additional information at eff-eu.org