European Union importers of steel products covered by the Steel Regulation must declare the country where the steel was melted and poured, backed by a Mill Test Certificate or other proof, from 1 October 2026.<\/p>\n
The European Commission now requires importers of steel products covered by the EU Steel Regulation to declare, from 1 October 2026, the country where the steel was melted and poured, backed by a mill certificate or other proof.<\/p>\n
The rule comes from an implementing act, a detailed rule the Commission adopts under a law, that it adopted on 31 August 20261<\/a><\/sup>. The act sets out which papers customs will accept as proof of that country1<\/a><\/sup>.<\/p>\n In short, every steel shipment covered by the Steel Regulation now needs one extra line on the customs declaration. That line names the country where the steel was first made, and the importer must have papers to prove it.<\/p>\n "Melt and pour" means the place where raw steel was first melted in a furnace and poured into a solid form. It is not always the country that rolled, cut or coated the final product. A coil made in one country can come from steel melted in another.<\/p>\n The Commission says the requirement makes steel imports more transparent and traceable<\/strong>1<\/a><\/sup>. It wants to know where imported steel really comes from. This lets it spot circumvention, which means routing goods through another country to avoid a duty1<\/a><\/sup>.<\/p>\n The Steel Regulation itself names the "melt and pour" principle as part of a clearer global steel market. It links the principle to the monitoring of imports and exports2<\/a><\/sup>.<\/p>\n The implementing act applies from 1 October 2026<\/strong>1<\/a><\/sup>. From that day, importers must state the country of melt and pour on their customs declaration. Without it, they cannot bring steel products covered by the Steel Regulation into the EU market1<\/a><\/sup>.<\/p>\n The declaration must be supported by evidence. The Commission’s announcement sets out the papers in order of preference1<\/a><\/sup>. The first choice is a single document, and the others serve as backup.<\/p>\n The key reference on every paper is the heat number<\/strong>. This is the number a steel mill gives to each batch of steel it melts. It links a finished product to the furnace batch it came from.<\/p>\n The first and main document is the Mill Test Certificate<\/strong>. This is the quality report a steel mill issues for its product. It must show both the country of melt and pour and the heat number of the imported steel1<\/a><\/sup>.<\/p>\n The certificate may leave out one of those two facts, or there may be no certificate at all. In that case customs authorities may accept other papers that show the country and the heat number1<\/a><\/sup>. These may back up the certificate or, for now, stand alone1<\/a><\/sup>. The accepted papers are:<\/p>\n Customs authorities decide whether these papers are enough1<\/a><\/sup>. Each one must still give both the melt and pour country and the heat number1<\/a><\/sup>.<\/p>\n The wider list of papers is a temporary relief. From 1 October 2027<\/strong>, those papers will only be accepted alongside a Mill Test Certificate, not on their own1<\/a><\/sup>.<\/p>\nWhat is "melt and pour" for steel imports?<\/h2>\n
What must steel importers declare from 1 October 2026?<\/h2>\n
Which papers prove the melt and pour country?<\/h2>\n
Papers that can prove the melt and pour country<\/h4>\n
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What changes for steel evidence on 1 October 2027?<\/h2>\n
Proof of melt and pour country, before and after<\/h4>\n