What happens when an EU steel import quota is exhausted?

Under Regulation (EU) 2026/1384, in force since 1 July 2026, imports above the tariff-rate quota pay a 50% duty on the value of the goods. Quotas are allocated quarterly on a first-come, first-served basis; once a line is exhausted, further imports from that origin pay the tariff until the next quarterly allocation. Exhaustion is not always final, though: customs authorities occasionally cancel earlier allocations for technical or regulatory reasons and return the tonnage to the quota — on 11 September 2026 roughly 8,100 tonnes flowed back into 36 previously exhausted lines. This tracker picks up such re-openings automatically through its daily refresh.

How often is the quota data on this tracker updated?

Balances are refreshed daily from the EU's official TARIC/QUOTA data distribution (published each working-day evening), cross-checked weekly against DG TAXUD's consolidated quota usage reports. EU balances exclude pending allocation requests and run roughly two working days behind customs reality.

Why does one steel category have several quota lines, sometimes two for the same country?

The EU allocates each category in tiers: country-specific quotas for origins with a large historical share, then a residual quota split into a shared pool for FTA quota-holders, a pool for any FTA partner, and a final pool open to all origins. An FTA partner such as the United Kingdom can therefore appear twice — once for its own country quota and once for its ring-fenced share of the residual FTA pool. Each line is a separate quota identified by its order number (09.xxxx), which determines eligibility at customs clearance.

Does the United Kingdom have its own EU steel quotas?

Yes. The UK is treated as an FTA partner and holds country-specific quotas in most categories, plus access to shared FTA pools. UK exporters shipping steel into the EU should watch the specific quota lines for their product category — this tracker has a one-click filter for UK-relevant lines.

What is the EU "melt and pour" requirement and when does it start?

From 1 October 2026, Article 4(1) of Regulation (EU) 2026/1384 requires importers of the 26 steel categories to evidence the country of melt and pour — where the steel was first produced in liquid form and cast into its first solid state — typically via a mill test certificate traceable to the melting mill. It is a traceability requirement only: quota eligibility continues to be determined by non-preferential origin, not by melt and pour. Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1963, published in the Official Journal on 31 August 2026, settles the documentation: a mill test certificate giving the country of melt and pour and the heat number, with a defined list of commercial documents accepted alongside it — or, only until 30 September 2027, in place of it. Melt-and-pour data begins informing country quota distribution from 1 October 2027, and by 30 June 2028 the Commission must assess whether it should become the primary basis for quota access.

Does melt and pour change which steel quota my shipment uses?

Not before October 2027. From 1 October 2026 the country of melt and pour must be evidenced at import, but the quota line a shipment draws on is still decided by its non-preferential origin and the quota order number (09.xxxx) at customs clearance. The two can differ — steel melted in one country and re-rolled or coated in another takes its non-preferential origin from the processing, while its melt and pour stays with the original melting mill. From 1 October 2027 the Commission begins using melt-and-pour data to set country allocations.

Which steel products are covered by the EU measure?

26 categories of steel goods — broader than the UK's measure. As well as hot-rolled flat, coated sheet, bars, rod, sections and welded tube, the EU regime also covers cold-rolled sheet, electrical sheet, stainless flat products, sheet piling and seamless tubes. Aluminium, brass, titanium, nickel alloys and cast iron are not covered.

Free EU Steel Quota Tracker — Daily EU Balances

Days left in quarter

–

Q1 · 1 Jul – 30 Sep 2026

Quota lines tracked

283

26 steel categories

Critical / exhausted

–

≥ 90% used or closed

Fastest-burning line

–

by share of quota used

50% out-of-quota tariff. Imports above the quota pay a 50% duty on the value of the goods — double the old safeguard rate.

First come, first served. Quota is allocated as goods clear customs. When a line is gone, it's gone until next quarter.

Quarterly + first-year carryover. Unused quarterly volume rolls over within the first year of the measure (to 30 Jun 2027) only.

How to read EU balances: the EU publishes quota balances once per working-day evening, and the figures exclude allocation requests still being processed — in practice the numbers run ~2 working days behind customs reality. A line showing a small remaining balance may already be spoken for. Treat balances as a strong signal, not a booking guarantee — confirm with your customs agent before committing shipments. The reverse also happens: the EU occasionally cancels earlier allocations and returns the tonnage — 36 previously exhausted lines re-opened this way on 11 September 2026 — so a line showing 100% is worth keeping an eye on.

"Melt and pour": new evidence requirement from 1 October 2026

From 1 October 2026, every importer of the 26 steel categories must be able to evidence the country of melt and pour — where the steel was first produced in liquid form and cast into its first solid state — not just where it was last processed. In practice that means a mill test certificate traceable to the melting mill, stating the melt country and the heat number.

It does not change your quota — yet. This is a traceability and transparency obligation. Quota eligibility still runs on non-preferential origin, exactly as the balances on this page show. Melt and pour starts feeding the country allocations from 1 October 2027, and by 30 June 2028 the Commission must decide whether it becomes the primary basis for quota access.

What the implementing act requires, the full timeline, and what to ask your supplier

The evidence is now settled. Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1963 of 28 August 2026 — published in the Official Journal on 31 August 2026 — requires a mill test certificate stating both the country of melt and pour and the heat number. Where the certificate is missing one of those, customs may accept invoices, delivery notes, quality certificates or clauses in purchase orders and contracts, long-term supplier declarations, cost-accounting and production documents, export-country customs documents, commercial correspondence or production descriptions to fill the gap. Until 30 September 2027 those same documents can stand alone where there is no mill test certificate at all; from 1 October 2027 the certificate itself is mandatory. The melt country is declared by TARIC document code, and an import without acceptable evidence is refused at the border.

25 Jun 2026Regulation (EU) 2026/1384 enters into force
1 Jul 2026New quotas open; 50% out-of-quota duty applies
31 Aug 2026Implementing act (EU) 2026/1963 on melt-and-pour evidence published
1 Oct 2026Importers must supply melt-and-pour evidence
1 Oct 2027Melt-and-pour data starts informing country quota distribution
1 Oct 2027Mill test certificate becomes mandatory; other documents only fill gaps in it
30 Jun 2028Commission reviews whether it becomes the basis for quota access

What to ask your supplier now, before October:

Can they name the melting mill and its country for every item you buy — not the rolling or coating mill?
Will the mill test certificate travel with the shipment, and does it state the melt country and the heat number explicitly?
For material bought through a trader or stockholder, can that certificate still be traced back to the original heat?
Where the melt country differs from the customs origin, do you know both — because from October you will have to declare both.

The gap to watch is re-rolled material: steel melted in one country, rolled or coated in another. Its non-preferential origin — and therefore its quota line on this page — may sit in a different country from its melt and pour.

Know the grade, not the category? Try:

Open (<70% used) Watch (70–90%) Critical (>90%) Exhausted ℹ ×pace = usage speed vs time elapsed

Why do some categories show several lines — even two for the same country?

The EU allocates each category's tonnage in tiers, and every line below is a separate quota with its own order number:

Country quota — tonnage reserved for one country with a large historical share (e.g. Turkey, Egypt, the United Kingdom).
FTA-pool share (reserved) — on top of its country quota, an FTA partner can get a ring-fenced share of the residual quota too. That's why the UK appears twice in some categories: its own quota, plus its reserved slice of the pool.
FTA pool (shared) — residual tonnage shared between the listed FTA quota-holders, first come, first served.
Pool for any FTA origin — a residual pool any of the EU's free-trade-agreement partners can draw from.
Open to all origins — the final pool, available to every country including non-FTA origins.

So two lines that both look like "other countries" are really two different doors: one for FTA partners, one for everyone. Which line applies to a shipment is decided at customs clearance by origin and the quota order number (#09.xxxx shown on each line).

Loading EU quota balances…

EU quota data is temporarily unavailable. Please try again shortly — or check the official EU quota consultation.

Steel grade directory — which EU import quota does your grade fall under?

Engineers buy EN3B, EN19 or 304 stainless — not "category 12". This directory maps the grades used in workshops to the EU quota category they are imported under from 1 July 2026, by product form. The EU measure is broader than the UK's — it also covers cold-rolled sheet, electrical sheet, stainless flat products, sheet piling and seamless tubes. Click any grade to check its balances above. Classification always depends on the exact CN/TARIC code — confirm with your supplier or customs agent.

Carbon & alloy bar grades

Cat 27 Bright / cold-drawn bar · Cat 16 Hot-rolled rod (wire rod)

Cat 27 Bright / cold-drawn bar · Cat 12 Black / hot-rolled bar

Cat 27 Bright bar · Cat 12 Black / hot-rolled bar

Cat 27 Bright / pre-hardened bar · Cat 12 Black / hot-rolled bar

Cat 27 Bright bar · Cat 12 Black / hot-rolled bar

Cat 27 Bright / ground bar · Cat 12 Black / hot-rolled bar

Cat 27 Bright bar · Cat 12 Black / hot-rolled bar

Cat 12 Hot-rolled bar / flat · Cat 2 Cold-rolled spring strip

Cat 27 Ground / cold-finished bar

Cat 27 Bright drawn bar

Cat 12 Hot-rolled / forged alloy bar · Cat 27 Bright / cold-finished bar

Cat 27 Bright / cold-drawn bar · Cat 12 Black / hot-rolled bar · Cat 1A Hot-rolled sheet / coil · Cat 2 Cold-rolled sheet · Cat 7 Plate (quarto)

Stainless steels

Cat 14 Bar & light sections · Cat 15 Wire rod · Cat 8 Hot-rolled sheet / strip · Cat 9 Cold-rolled sheet / strip · Cat 10 Quarto plate · Cat 22 Seamless tube

Cat 14 Bar & light sections · Cat 15 Wire rod

Cat 14 Bar & light sections · Cat 15 Wire rod · Cat 8 Hot-rolled sheet / strip · Cat 9 Cold-rolled sheet / strip · Cat 10 Quarto plate · Cat 22 Seamless tube

Cat 14 Bar & light sections · Cat 8 Hot-rolled sheet / strip · Cat 9 Cold-rolled sheet / strip

Cat 14 Bar & light sections · Cat 8 Sheet / strip

Cat 14 Bar & light sections

Cat 14 Bar & light sections · Cat 8 Hot-rolled sheet / strip · Cat 9 Cold-rolled sheet / strip · Cat 10 Quarto plate

Cat 14 Bar & light sections

Structural, plate & sheet

Cat 7 Plate (quarto) · Cat 1A Hot-rolled sheet / strip / coil · Cat 17 Angles, channels, beams, sections · Cat 21 Hollow section (SHS/RHS)

Cat 7 Plate (quarto) · Cat 1A Hot-rolled sheet / coil

Cat 7 Alloy quarto plate

Cat 7 Quarto plate

Cat 1A Hot-rolled sheet / coil · Cat 7 Quarto plate (thick)

Cat 1A Hot-rolled sheet / strip / coil

Cat 2 Cold-rolled sheet / coil

Cat 4A Metallic coated sheet / coil · Cat 4B Metallic coated sheet / coil (other codes)

Cat 5 Organic coated sheet

Cat 6 Tin mill products

Cat 3A Electrical sheet (non-GOES) · Cat 3B Electrical sheet (non-GOES, other codes)

Tubes, sections, rod & rebar

Cat 13 Reinforcing bar

Cat 16 Hot-rolled wire rod · Cat 28 Cold-drawn wire

Cat 17 Angles, shapes & sections

Cat 18 Sheet piling

Cat 19 Railway material

Cat 21 Welded square / rectangular hollow section

Cat 20 Welded circular ≤168.3 mm · Cat 26 Other welded tube

Cat 26 Other welded tubes · Cat 25B Large welded tubes (>406 mm)

Cat 25A Large welded tubes (25.A codes) · Cat 25B Large welded tubes (other)

Cat 24 Seamless tube & pipe (carbon / alloy) · Cat 22 Seamless stainless tube

Not covered — no quota risk

✓ All forms: no quota

Where the EU's steel imports come from

Import volumes into the EU-27 per quota category from Eurostat's Comext customs statistics, to Jul 26 (Eurostat publishes with a ~2-month lag). Navy line: monthly tonnage from all non-EU origins. Orange: 3-month weighted average, recent months weighted 3:2:1. Together with the daily balances above, this shows who supplies the EU — and what happens when their quota runs out.

Cat 1A

Hot-rolled sheets & strips

9,654 ktimported, last 12 mo

Indonesia 19%Turkey 17%Ukraine 13%Others 51%

Monthly imports (kt)3-month weighted avg (3:2:1)

Jul 26 vs Jul 25: −43% (same month, year on year) · last 12 months vs previous 12: +24%

Quota status: loading balance… See quota status ↑

Cat 4A+4B

Metallic coated sheets

4,625 ktimported, last 12 mo

China 18%Korea, Republic of 18%Turkey 16%Others 48%

Monthly imports (kt)3-month weighted avg (3:2:1)

Jul 26 vs Jul 25: −52% (same month, year on year) · last 12 months vs previous 12: −3%

Quota status: loading balance… See quota status ↑

Cat 2

Cold-rolled sheets

2,219 ktimported, last 12 mo

Korea, Republic of 17%China 15%India 14%Others 54%

Monthly imports (kt)3-month weighted avg (3:2:1)

Jul 26 vs Jul 25: −55% (same month, year on year) · last 12 months vs previous 12: −12%

Quota status: loading balance… See quota status ↑

Cat 16

Wire rod

2,205 ktimported, last 12 mo

Turkey 19%Indonesia 16%Ukraine 14%Others 51%

Monthly imports (kt)3-month weighted avg (3:2:1)

Jul 26 vs Jul 25: −53% (same month, year on year) · last 12 months vs previous 12: −13%

Quota status: loading balance… See quota status ↑

Cat 7

Quarto plates

2,055 ktimported, last 12 mo

Korea, Republic of 22%Indonesia 21%India 14%Others 43%

Monthly imports (kt)3-month weighted avg (3:2:1)

Jul 26 vs Jul 25: −17% (same month, year on year) · last 12 months vs previous 12: −1%

Quota status: loading balance… See quota status ↑

Cat 12

Merchant bars & light sections

1,770 ktimported, last 12 mo

China 28%Turkey 21%Egypt 17%Others 34%

Monthly imports (kt)3-month weighted avg (3:2:1)

Jul 26 vs Jul 25: −58% (same month, year on year) · last 12 months vs previous 12: +8%

Quota status: loading balance… See quota status ↑

Cat 13

Rebars

1,734 ktimported, last 12 mo

Turkey 27%Egypt 20%China 11%Others 42%

Monthly imports (kt)3-month weighted avg (3:2:1)

Jul 26 vs Jul 25: −61% (same month, year on year) · last 12 months vs previous 12: −13%

Quota status: loading balance… See quota status ↑

Cat 5

Organic coated sheets

1,044 ktimported, last 12 mo

India 28%Korea, Republic of 27%Vietnam 13%Others 32%

Monthly imports (kt)3-month weighted avg (3:2:1)

Jul 26 vs Jul 25: −27% (same month, year on year) · last 12 months vs previous 12: −4%

Quota status: loading balance… See quota status ↑

Show all 29 categories

Cat 21

Hollow sections

950 ktimported, last 12 mo

Turkey 44%UK 13%Ukraine 11%Others 32%

Monthly imports (kt)3-month weighted avg (3:2:1)

Jul 26 vs Jul 25: −21% (same month, year on year) · last 12 months vs previous 12: +4%

Quota status: loading balance… See quota status ↑

Cat 6

Tin mill products

844 ktimported, last 12 mo

China 51%UK 8%India 8%Others 33%

Monthly imports (kt)3-month weighted avg (3:2:1)

Jul 26 vs Jul 25: −61% (same month, year on year) · last 12 months vs previous 12: +1%

Quota status: loading balance… See quota status ↑

Cat 28

Non-alloy wire

673 ktimported, last 12 mo

China 44%Turkey 28%Ukraine 14%Others 14%

Monthly imports (kt)3-month weighted avg (3:2:1)

Jul 26 vs Jul 25: −9% (same month, year on year) · last 12 months vs previous 12: +2%

Quota status: loading balance… See quota status ↑

Cat 9

Stainless cold-rolled sheets

613 ktimported, last 12 mo

Korea, Republic of 22%Taiwan 17%Turkey 13%Others 48%

Monthly imports (kt)3-month weighted avg (3:2:1)

Jul 26 vs Jul 25: −62% (same month, year on year) · last 12 months vs previous 12: −22%

Quota status: loading balance… See quota status ↑

Cat 24

Other seamless tubes

445 ktimported, last 12 mo

China 44%Ukraine 29%Brazil 7%Others 20%

Monthly imports (kt)3-month weighted avg (3:2:1)

Jul 26 vs Jul 25: +18% (same month, year on year) · last 12 months vs previous 12: −12%

Quota status: loading balance… See quota status ↑

Cat 20

Gas pipes

385 ktimported, last 12 mo

Turkey 52%India 20%North Macedonia 7%Others 21%

Monthly imports (kt)3-month weighted avg (3:2:1)

Jul 26 vs Jul 25: −23% (same month, year on year) · last 12 months vs previous 12: −6%

Quota status: loading balance… See quota status ↑

Cat 3B

Electrical sheets (3B codes)

378 ktimported, last 12 mo

Korea, Republic of 35%China 31%Taiwan 27%Others 7%

Monthly imports (kt)3-month weighted avg (3:2:1)

Jul 26 vs Jul 25: −8% (same month, year on year) · last 12 months vs previous 12: +32%

Quota status: loading balance… See quota status ↑

Cat 26

Other welded pipes

377 ktimported, last 12 mo

Turkey 40%China 11%UK 9%Others 40%

Monthly imports (kt)3-month weighted avg (3:2:1)

Jul 26 vs Jul 25: −15% (same month, year on year) · last 12 months vs previous 12: −5%

Quota status: loading balance… See quota status ↑

Cat 17

Angles & sections

240 ktimported, last 12 mo

Turkey 35%UK 30%China 18%Others 17%

Monthly imports (kt)3-month weighted avg (3:2:1)

Jul 26 vs Jul 25: −67% (same month, year on year) · last 12 months vs previous 12: −32%

Quota status: loading balance… See quota status ↑

Cat 14

Stainless bars

221 ktimported, last 12 mo

India 78%Switzerland 7%UK 5%Others 10%

Monthly imports (kt)3-month weighted avg (3:2:1)

Jul 26 vs Jul 25: −42% (same month, year on year) · last 12 months vs previous 12: −5%

Quota status: loading balance… See quota status ↑

Cat 8

Stainless hot-rolled sheets

217 ktimported, last 12 mo

Korea, Republic of 24%Taiwan 24%India 19%Others 33%

Monthly imports (kt)3-month weighted avg (3:2:1)

Jul 26 vs Jul 25: −75% (same month, year on year) · last 12 months vs previous 12: −18%

Quota status: loading balance… See quota status ↑

Cat 25B

Large welded tubes (2)

194 ktimported, last 12 mo

Turkey 42%China 23%Algeria 13%Others 22%

Monthly imports (kt)3-month weighted avg (3:2:1)

Jul 26 vs Jul 25: −57% (same month, year on year) · last 12 months vs previous 12: +2%

Quota status: loading balance… See quota status ↑

Cat 25A

Large welded tubes (1)

163 ktimported, last 12 mo

UK 37%Turkey 31%China 15%Others 17%

Monthly imports (kt)3-month weighted avg (3:2:1)

Jul 26 vs Jul 25: −30% (same month, year on year) · last 12 months vs previous 12: +77%

Quota status: loading balance… See quota status ↑

Cat 27

Cold finished bars

138 ktimported, last 12 mo

China 33%Turkey 28%Switzerland 21%Others 18%

Monthly imports (kt)3-month weighted avg (3:2:1)

Jul 26 vs Jul 25: −20% (same month, year on year) · last 12 months vs previous 12: +15%

Quota status: loading balance… See quota status ↑

Cat 22

Seamless stainless tubes

59 ktimported, last 12 mo

India 47%Ukraine 20%China 6%Others 27%

Monthly imports (kt)3-month weighted avg (3:2:1)

Jul 26 vs Jul 25: −28% (same month, year on year) · last 12 months vs previous 12: −3%

Quota status: loading balance… See quota status ↑

Cat 18

Sheet piling

58 ktimported, last 12 mo

China 82%UAE 14%UK 3%Others 1%

Monthly imports (kt)3-month weighted avg (3:2:1)

last 12 months vs previous 12: +66%

Quota status: loading balance… See quota status ↑

Cat 15

Stainless wire rod

56 ktimported, last 12 mo

India 37%Taiwan 23%Korea, Republic of 14%Others 26%

Monthly imports (kt)3-month weighted avg (3:2:1)

Jul 26 vs Jul 25: −11% (same month, year on year) · last 12 months vs previous 12: −9%

Quota status: loading balance… See quota status ↑

Cat 19

Railway material

24 ktimported, last 12 mo

UK 52%Turkey 23%China 17%Others 8%

Monthly imports (kt)3-month weighted avg (3:2:1)

Jul 26 vs Jul 25: −38% (same month, year on year) · last 12 months vs previous 12: −0%

Quota status: loading balance… See quota status ↑

Cat 10

Stainless quarto plates

21 ktimported, last 12 mo

China 51%India 31%South Africa 7%Others 11%

Monthly imports (kt)3-month weighted avg (3:2:1)

Jul 26 vs Jul 25: −84% (same month, year on year) · last 12 months vs previous 12: −51%

Quota status: loading balance… See quota status ↑

Cat 1B

Hot-rolled sheets & strips (1B)

7 ktimported, last 12 mo

UK 39%United States from 1995 -> 2000) 37%Japan 17%Others 7%

Monthly imports (kt)3-month weighted avg (3:2:1)

last 12 months vs previous 12: +8%

Quota status: loading balance… See quota status ↑

Cat 3A

Electrical sheets (non-GOES)

1 ktimported, last 12 mo

Turkey 90%Korea, Republic of 5%South Africa 3%Others 2%

Monthly imports (kt)3-month weighted avg (3:2:1)

last 12 months vs previous 12: −38%

Quota status: loading balance… See quota status ↑

Source: Eurostat Comext (EU trade by CN8 commodity code, dataset DS-045409), refreshed monthly. Figures are code-level: engineering grades (EN24, S355…) share commodity codes with other grades of the same form. Import volume ≠ quota usage — quotas meter tariff-free entry, imports above quota still flow at the 50% tariff.

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How much tariff-free EU steel quota is left?

"Melt and pour": new evidence requirement from 1 October 2026

Steel grade directory — which EU import quota does your grade fall under?

Carbon & alloy bar grades

Stainless steels

Structural, plate & sheet

Tubes, sections, rod & rebar

Not covered — no quota risk

Where the EU's steel imports come from

Hot-rolled sheets & strips

Metallic coated sheets

Cold-rolled sheets

Wire rod

Quarto plates

Merchant bars & light sections

Rebars

Organic coated sheets

Hollow sections

Tin mill products

Non-alloy wire

Stainless cold-rolled sheets

Other seamless tubes

Gas pipes

Electrical sheets (3B codes)

Other welded pipes

Angles & sections

Stainless bars

Stainless hot-rolled sheets

Large welded tubes (2)

Large welded tubes (1)

Cold finished bars

Seamless stainless tubes

Sheet piling

Stainless wire rod

Railway material

Stainless quarto plates

Hot-rolled sheets & strips (1B)

Electrical sheets (non-GOES)

Get a free alert before an EU quota runs out