# EU Steel Import Quotas From July 2026: What Exporters Need to Know

Canonical: https://senseible.earth/climate-intelligence/eu-steel-import-quota-2026

Published 2026-10-13.

For steel exporters to Europe, 2026 brought two border changes in six months. CBAM began charging for embedded emissions in January. Then in July, the EU replaced its 2018 steel safeguard with a permanent import regime: smaller duty-free quotas, a much higher duty above them, and a new rule on where steel was first made.

This article explains the new quota regime and how it interacts with CBAM.

## What changed

As reported by trade press and agencies:

- **Adopted:** the Council of the EU adopted the measure on 8 June 2026, with 25 of 27 member states in favour. It applies from **1 July 2026**.
- **Duty-free quotas cut by about 47 percent,** to about **18.3 million tonnes** a year.
- **Duty above quota: 50 percent,** up from 25 percent under the old safeguard. It applies on top of any anti-dumping or countervailing duties already in place.
- **How quotas work:** allocated by product category based on each category's share of imports in 2022 to 2024, managed quarterly, with no carryover of unused volume. The Commission may set country-specific quotas or restrictions where needed.
- **Melt and pour:** from **1 October 2026**, importers must show where the steel was first produced in liquid form.

Check the Official Journal text for your product categories before quoting.

## Why melt-and-pour matters

Melt-and-pour evidence stops steel from being relabelled by a country that only rolled or finished it. For a re-roller who buys slab or billet from one country and exports finished products from another, the origin of the melt now has to be documented. It is the same chain of evidence CBAM needs for precursors: where the crude steel came from and how much it emitted.

## How the quota and CBAM combine

A tonne of steel entering the EU can now face three costs:

1. **Ordinary duty,** where applicable.
2. **The 50 percent out-of-quota duty,** once the quarterly quota for that category is used up.
3. **CBAM certificates** for its embedded emissions.

Quotas fill early in each quarter in busy categories, so timing becomes a commercial weapon: steel that clears customs inside the quota avoids the 50 percent duty. CBAM costs apply either way, which is why verified low emissions matter even for steel that makes the quota.

## What exporters should do

- **Plan shipments around quarterly quota openings** with your importer.
- **Prepare melt-and-pour evidence** from your mill or your slab supplier for every shipment from October 2026.
- **Get verified actual emissions,** so the CBAM cost on top is as low as your plant allows; see [how to get CBAM emissions verified](https://senseible.earth/climate-intelligence/cbam-verification-non-eu-producer).

Senseible keeps purchase records, mill certificates and energy invoices linked to each emissions figure, which supports both the melt-and-pour trail and CBAM precursor data. For costs, see [CBAM cost for Indian steel exporters](https://senseible.earth/climate-intelligence/cbam-compliance-cost-indian-steel-exporters-2026-2034) and [financing CBAM compliance for steel exporters in Vietnam](https://senseible.earth/climate-intelligence/finance-cbam-compliance-steel-vietnam).

This is general guidance, not legal advice.

## Related guides

- [CBAM for fastener exporters in India](https://senseible.earth/climate-intelligence/cbam-fastener-exporters-india)
- [CBAM checklist for steel and aluminium exporters](https://senseible.earth/climate-intelligence/steel-aluminum-exporters-cbam-compliance-checklist)
- [CBAM supplier data for steel importers in Poland](https://senseible.earth/climate-intelligence/cbam-supplier-data-steel-importer-poland)
- [becoming a CBAM authorised declarant](https://senseible.earth/climate-intelligence/become-cbam-authorised-declarant)