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Specialist: steel imports & evidenceEU

EU steel imports: melt-and-pour evidence required from 1 October

Covered steel imports need evidence of the melt-and-pour country and heat number. Check the product scope and supplier paperwork before dispatch; this is not a blanket requirement for every item containing steel.

By Scott GillettPublished 1 Oct 2026Last reviewed 1 Oct 2026Destination: European Union
WHEN IT APPLIESPartly in force
Who this affects
UK sellers supplying EU customers with steel products listed in Annex I to Regulation 2026/1384, including specified sheets, bars, wire, tubes and pipes, and their EU importers.
Seller action
Check before sending affected goods

Confirm the exact product scope with the EU customs representative. Obtain the melt-and-pour country and heat number from the supplier, check the supporting evidence and agree how it will be declared before dispatch.

Effective dates / current position
Melt-and-pour evidence required for covered steel imports: — In force
Mill test certificate required; standalone alternatives end: — Upcoming—not yet in force
Timing follows the confirmed published schedule; it is not a fresh legal review. The evidence obligation applies from 1 October 2026; only the temporary option to use standalone alternative documents ends before the second milestone. Brussels calendar time is an EU-wide display convention, not a carrier cutoff. Date-only changes use the calendar day in Europe/Brussels.
Last reviewed
1 Oct 2026 — an editorial source check, separate from automatic timing.
Official source
Open the primary source ↗
Updates to this article

  • First published after checking Regulations 2026/1384 and 2026/1963, including Annex I, commencement and the temporary alternative-evidence provision. Added current Dutch declaration and quota guidance and Irish deposit guidance; distinguished covered steel stock from all steel-containing products.

Recorded editorial changes. Automatic timing labels do not change the publication or review dates.
Check the product scope first. This is not a blanket rule for every finished product containing steel. It concerns the steel product categories and codes listed in Annex I to Regulation (EU) 2026/1384.

What applies from 1 October?

From 1 October 2026, importers of covered steel products entering the EU must provide verifiable evidence of the country of melt and pour and the heat number. The evidence rule is set out in Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1963. Failure to declare the country with appropriate verifiable evidence leads to rejection of the import.

Melt and pour means where the raw steel or iron was first produced in liquid form in a furnace and then cast into its first solid form, including the remelting of scrap. A UK dispatch address or the country of the distributor is not evidence of that production location.

Which products should sellers check?

Annex I includes specified steel sheets and strips, bars, wire, tubes, pipes and other listed steel categories. Product descriptions alone are not enough: ask the EU importer or customs representative to match the goods to the annex and their exact CN or TARIC classification.

Do not apply the requirement to your entire catalogue simply because products contain steel. It is also separate from the EU anti-dumping registration measures for welded steel mesh and steel shelving.

Illustration of steel coils, hollow-section tubes and unbranded paperwork in a warehouse
Illustrative image: confirm the covered product and its production evidence with the supplier and EU declarant.

What paperwork is needed?

The primary evidence is a mill test certificate (MTC) containing both the melt-and-pour country and heat number. If either detail is missing, specified supporting documents may supplement the certificate with the missing information.

Where no MTC can be supplied, a temporary provision allows customs to consider standalone alternatives from 1 October 2026 to 30 September 2027, provided they contain both details. These include invoices, delivery notes, quality certificates and relevant contract clauses, long-term supplier declarations, production or cost-accounting records, export customs documents, commercial correspondence and production descriptions.

Alternative or complementary evidence is subject to documentary checks. It is not an automatic waiver, and checks can delay access to quota. From 1 October 2027, the standalone-alternative provision no longer applies; supporting documents can still complement an MTC where information is missing.

Agree the declaration and quota process

The country is declared using TARIC document codes. Dutch Customs’ current instructions use Y376–Y388 for the country information and C131–C139 for the evidence type. Ask the declarant to select the correct codes and references for the actual goods and documents.

For imports through Ireland, Revenue’s 29 September notice says AIS takes deposits for potential 50% out-of-quota duty. Insufficient funds for a required deposit can prevent the quota request being sent to the Commission. A deposit is not proof that quota has been allocated, or that every shipment ultimately owes that duty.

Dutch Customs also gives a specific procedure when a country quota is exhausted and an additional quota may be available. A repayment request and blocking period may be involved. Let the customs representative check the applicable quota and formal request procedure; do not assume an allocation or refund is guaranteed.

Before dispatch

Official sources

General guidance for affected sellers, not a product-classification ruling. Resolve uncertain scope or evidence with the EU importer and customs representative before sending the goods.