STEEL REGULATION
Importing steel in 2026 plays by new rules.
CBAM, safeguard quotas, Melt & Pour traceability, material certificates, anti-dumping duties: five separate texts now bear on every order of stainless steel or special alloy imported into the European Union. Each page below answers one question, with its official source.
The declaration is yours. The data is ours.
You import, so you are the party liable: authorised declarant status, embedded emissions, certificates to surrender. Our work starts upstream — documented origin, Melt & Pour traceability, emissions data from our mills, EN 10204 material certificates. That is what your customs broker will ask you for, and what we hand over with the goods.
And when one origin saves you on material price but costs you more in surcharges, we tell you before you order.
Priority — deadline 01/10/2026
Melt & Pour traceability: what it requires from importers
From 1 October 2026, importers of steel product categories covered by Regulation (EU) 2026/1384 must prove the country where the steel was first produced in liquid form — the so-called Melt & Pour clause. It is not a tax: it is documentary evidence to be produced at import.
Read the page →Updated 15 August 2026
CBAM: what the definitive regime requires since 2026
Since 1 January 2026, the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) has entered its definitive phase: authorised declarant status, purchase of carbon certificates, annual declaration. Iron and steel — including stainless — are among the sectors covered. As the importer, these obligations are yours.
Read the page →Updated 15 August 2026
Steel quotas and safeguard: the regime in force since July 2026
Since 1 July 2026, Regulation (EU) 2026/1384 replaces the 2019 steel safeguard: a new annual tariff-rate quota of 18,345,922 tonnes, above which the duty rises to 50%. The choice of origin and order timing directly affects your landed price.
Read the page →Updated 15 August 2026
EN 10204 material certificates: what they prove, who validates them
The European standard EN 10204 defines four types of inspection documents for metallic products, from 2.1 (declaration of compliance) to 3.2 (cross-validated by an independent inspector). It is this document — not a company-wide certification — that confirms your tube or fitting matches the standard, the required grade, the chemistry and the mechanical properties of the order.
Read the page →Updated 15 August 2026
Anti-dumping on stainless tubes and fittings: what is in force
Two separate EU anti-dumping measures target stainless steel: butt-welding fittings originating in China and Taiwan (extended to Malaysia), and seamless tubes originating in China. Rates range from 5.1% to 71.9% depending on product, country and producer.
Read the page →Frequently asked questions
- Why does SPS publish regulatory coverage?
- Because these texts determine where you can buy and at what real cost: quotas, anti-dumping duties and carbon cost change your landed price more than the quoted material price does.
- Does SPS handle my customs obligations for me?
- No. In nearly every transaction, you — the importer — carry the customs declaration, declarant status and CBAM compliance. We supply the data — traceability, certificates, origin — that feeds your file.
- Do these pages replace customs or legal advice?
- No. They explain what the official texts require and what we provide you to meet them — for any question on your specific file, your customs broker or counsel remains the right contact.
Guillaume Roché
Partner
Published 15 August 2026 · Updated 15 August 2026