United Kingdom updated import quota balances following allocations on 23 September 2026, including marking Turkey quota 058647 for hollow sections as critical.
UK steel imports outside the measure’s scope
The dates that bind
HM Revenue and Customs has updated UK import quota balances after allocations on 23 September 2026, marking Turkey’s quota for hollow sections as critical from 24 September.1
The update affects steel imports moving through the UK’s tariff-rate quota system, including hollow structural sections used in construction and manufacturing. Turkey quota 058647 covers three commodity codes and had a balance of 4,035,003.57 units in the wider quota update.1 The separate notice says the quota period ends on 30 September 2026.2 Goods within quota can enter without the additional steel duty, while imports outside the allowance face a much higher charge.
The measure is designed to limit tariff-free steel imports while keeping supplies available for UK users. The cost falls on the importer when a shipment enters outside its quota, because the out-of-quota tariff is charged on the value of the steel before other import duties.3 The latest balance update therefore matters most to companies buying Turkish hollow sections close to the end of the current quarter.
Turkey hollow sections turn critical
The critical status applies to Turkey’s quota order 058647, Category 21, covering hollow sections. HMRC’s notice took effect on 24 September 2026, one day after the allocation that changed the balances.2 Importers handling the affected goods now face 24 September 2026 as the operative date for the status change.
Inside the quota, and outside it
| Question | Within quota | Outside quota |
|---|---|---|
| Steel duty | None, beyond normal tariff | 50% of goods value |
| Duty charged on | — | Value of steel before other duties [n] |
| Who bears the cost | — | The importer [n] |
| Transitional exemption | Not needed | Contracts before 14 Mar 2026, 1 Jul–30 Sep 2026 [n] |
The three covered commodity codes are 7306611000, 7306619200 and 7306619900. They cover welded hollow sections made from steel, with the exact customs classification determining whether a shipment falls inside the notice.2 A product description alone is not enough to establish access to the quota, since the order is tied to the commodity codes.
The wider HMRC update lists balances for dozens of quota orders, with several balances at zero and others carrying substantial remaining volumes. Quota 058622 had a balance of zero, while quota 058647 was listed at 4,035,003.57.1 Those figures show why a critical label cannot be read as a general closure of Turkish steel imports; it identifies a quota under pressure rather than banning the goods.
That distinction is important for customs entries. The notification changes the operating position for the relevant order, but it does not remove the underlying product codes from the UK tariff. The financial effect depends on whether the shipment can use available quota and whether the entry is made before the current quota period closes.
The July steel barrier
The Turkey update sits inside a steel trade measure that began on 1 July 2026. The government reduced overall tariff-free quota volumes by 51% compared with the former steel safeguard measure, while imports above the limits became subject to a 50% tariff.4 The new system applies to steel products that can also be made in the UK.
The previous steel safeguard quotas and the 25% additional safeguard duty ended on 30 June 2026.4 The replacement system therefore changed both the size of the available allowance and the consequence of exhausting it. For a steel user, the difference between entering within quota and outside quota can now be large enough to affect sourcing decisions and contract prices.
The government said the final measure followed feedback on provisional quotas published in April. It increased the overall quota to 3.2 million tonnes, reduced the proposed cut from 60% to 51%, and narrowed the product scope from 190 to 181 commodity codes.5 The changes were presented as a balance between supporting UK steelmaking and limiting disruption for businesses that depend on imports.
The system still permits tariff-free entry for steel categories covered by the quotas. Nearly three-quarters of UK steel imports by value, or 74%, and more than half by volume, or 53%, fall outside the measure’s scope, according to the government’s response.5 That leaves the Turkey hollow-section notice focused on a particular product route rather than the whole UK steel market.
How quota access is allocated
Quota access is granted by HMRC to UK importers on a first come, first served basis. Applications must cite the relevant order number shown in the tariff material or identified by the online tariff tool.3 In practice, first come, first served makes the timing of a customs application part of the commercial risk.
The quotas operate by country, territory or residual allocation. A residual quota is available to imports from any eligible country after country-specific arrangements have been accounted for. The rules divide the year into four quarters: July to September, October to December, January to March, and April to June.3
Category 1 also includes a separate global allowance for goods used in downstream processing. That route is restricted to authorised-use declarations and applies only where the imported steel is transformed into specified products. A 40% cap applies to exports from any one country or territory per quarter, and the out-of-quota duty applies once either the global quota or the relevant country limit is reached.3
The Turkey order is in Category 21 rather than Category 1, so the Category 1 authorised-use conditions do not automatically govern hollow sections. The broader lesson is that quota access depends on the precise order, category, origin and customs procedure. Treating the overall steel quota as one pool would risk applying the wrong balance to a shipment.
September balances and October changes
The current allocation took place at 13.00 on 23 September, and HMRC published the revised balances on 24 September.1 That short gap leaves a narrow window between the allocation event and the public update, particularly for entries placed near the end of the quarter. The relevant Turkey period ends on 30 September, so the balance can change again before the next quarter begins.
The steel measure is divided into quarterly allowances rather than one annual pot available without limits. For Category 1 authorised-use products, the total allocation is 595,950 tonnes in both the first and second quarters, falling to 582,993 tonnes in the third quarter and 589,468 tonnes in the fourth.3 The quarterly structure is intended to spread access across the year, but it also creates repeated points at which a quota can become tight.
A separate amendment will remove two non-alloy wire commodity codes from the steel measure on 1 October 2026. Their tariff rate will fall from 50% to 0%, while the Category 28 quota volume remains unchanged.3 That change does not cover the three Turkish hollow-section codes, which remain within the order identified as critical.
The timing means importers are dealing with two different events at once. The Turkey quota status applies in the last days of the September quarter, while the wire-code amendment begins with the next quarter. 1 October 2026 therefore matters for the narrow group of wire products, but it does not create a general reset for all steel quota balances.
The charge after quota exhaustion
For steel entered outside quota, the duty is 50% of the value of the goods before other import duties are applied.3 That calculation makes quota availability a direct cost issue rather than a purely administrative matter. The importer pays the additional duty at entry, although contracts may determine whether some or all of the cost is later reflected in the sale price.
The rules provide limited flexibility within the quota year. Unused quota allocated to a country or territory, or left as residual quota, rolls into the next quarter. It cannot roll into the next quota year.3 This gives some protection against a quarterly balance expiring unused, but it does not make an exhausted quota available again within the same period.
Goods contracted before 14 March 2026 can use a time-limited transitional exemption from the 50% out-of-quota duty between 1 July and 30 September 2026. Evidence is required to prove eligibility, and HMRC can take enforcement action in cases of non-compliance or deliberate fraud.3 The exemption therefore depends on both the contract date and documentary proof, not simply on the date of import.
The government’s response to a petition on the steel measure said the arrangements would be monitored and pointed to the transitional rules, quota rollover and removal of country-cap restrictions as flexibilities.5 Those mechanisms may reduce short-term disruption, but they do not remove the central exposure created by a critical quota. Once the September period closes, the next practical test will be whether the Turkish hollow-section allowance is replenished, rolled over or exhausted under the quarterly system.
The immediate effect of the HMRC update is concentrated on Turkish hollow sections rather than every steel product. It raises the importance of the order number, commodity code and entry timing for shipments arriving before 30 September, while the 50% out-of-quota duty remains the central financial consequence of missing the available quota.
Sources
- ↩ Quota Volume Updates – 24 September 2026 https://www.trade-tariff.service.gov.uk/news/stories/quota-volume-updates—24-september-2026
- ↩ Türkiye Quota 058647 Volume Update – 24 September 2026 https://www.trade-tariff.service.gov.uk/news/stories/trkiye-quota-058647-volume-update–24-september-2026
- ↩ UK steel trade measure from 1 July 2026 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uks-steel-trade-measure-from-1-july-2026/uks-steel-trade-measure-from-1-july-2026
- ↩ UK Steel Import Quota Reduction from 1 July 2026 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uks-steel-trade-measure-from-1-july-2026
- ↩ Urgently Review and Adjust Steel Import Quota & Tariff Changes https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/767467