EU clarifies evidence rules for steel ‘melt and pour’ declarations

• Mill Test Certificates to become mandatory from Oct’27
• Melt-and-pour data could influence future EU quota access

The European Commission has adopted Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1963, establishing the documentary evidence required to verify the country of ‘melt and pour’ for steel products imported into the EU. The implementing act was unanimously backed by EU member states on 19 August and will apply from 1 October, 2026. It aims to strengthen transparency and traceability and help address potential circumvention of EU steel measures linked to global overcapacity.

Mill test certificate to become mandatory from Oct’27

From October, importers will be required to declare the country where the steel was melted and poured in their customs declarations. The declaration will need to be supported by a mill test certificate (MTC) specifying the country of ‘melt and pour’ and the relevant heat number.

Where an MTC is unavailable, or does not contain the required information, customs authorities may consider alternative documents, including invoices, delivery notes, quality certificates, purchase orders or contracts, long-term supplier declarations, cost-accounting and production records, customs documents from the exporting country, commercial correspondence and production descriptions. Such documents must identify both the country of ‘melt and pour’ and the relevant heat number.

During the first year of implementation, these alternative documents may be accepted either as standalone evidence or as complementary documentation where the MTC is incomplete. However, from 1 October, 2027, they will only be accepted as complementary evidence, making an MTC necessary in all cases.

Requirements form part of new EU steel trade framework

The Commission said the final requirements incorporate feedback from nearly 170 steel producers, users, traders, importers, industry associations and other stakeholders during a targeted consultation.

The melt-and-pour requirement forms part of the EU’s new steel trade framework, which replaced the previous safeguard measure on 1 July, 2026. The framework establishes an annual duty-free tariff-rate quota of around 18.35 million tonnes (mnt), while imports exceeding available quota volumes are subject to a 50% duty.

The traceability requirement applies to all origins, including European Economic Area countries, and will provide the Commission with data to assess by 30 June, 2028, whether melt-and-pour country should also determine access to tariff-rate quotas.

Note: This article is published as part of a content exchange agreement between SteelOrbis and BigMint.