EU Steel: Melt and Pour Rules
🔓 From 1 October 2026, importers of covered steel products must declare and prove where the steel was originally melted and poured.
Summary: From 1 October 2026, EU importers of steel products covered by the EU Steel Regulation must declare the country in which the steel was originally melted and poured and support that declaration with verifiable evidence. The new requirement is designed to strengthen transparency and traceability across the EU steel supply chain. Businesses importing affected products should therefore review their supplier documentation, Mill Test Certificates, heat numbers and customs processes before the new rules apply. |
EU Steel: Melt and Pour Rules
The EU is introducing new traceability requirements for certain steel products.
From 1 October 2026, importers of steel products covered by the EU Steel Regulation must declare the country in which the steel was originally melted and poured when importing those products into the European Union.
The requirement follows the adoption of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1963, which sets out the evidence importers can use to demonstrate the country of melt and pour. The Commission says the measure is intended to strengthen transparency and traceability across the EU steel supply chain and support the monitoring of steel imports.
For importers, this means that understanding the customs origin of a finished steel product may no longer be enough for the purposes of this requirement.
Businesses will also need to be able to identify and evidence where the raw steel or iron used in the product was originally melted and cast.
What Does “Melt and Pour” Mean?
The EU defines the country of melt and pour as the original location where raw steel or iron is first produced in liquid form in a steel or iron-making furnace and then cast into its first solid state. This can also include the re-melting of scrap.
In practical terms, the requirement focuses on the original production stage of the steel, rather than simply the country where the steel was subsequently processed, manufactured into another product or exported from. That distinction is important.
A steel product may be manufactured in one country using steel that was originally melted and poured in another. Under the new EU requirement, importers need to establish the relevant country of melt and pour for the steel used in the imported product.
What Changes on 1 October 2026?
From 1 October 2026, importers of products covered by the relevant categories in the EU Steel Regulation must declare the country of melt and pour when importing the goods into the EU. The declaration must be supported by appropriate and verifiable evidence.
The country of melt and pour will be declared using the relevant TARIC document codes. Failure to provide the required declaration and appropriate supporting evidence can result in the import being rejected.
This makes the new requirement a significant customs and supply-chain compliance issue.
Importers will need to ensure that the information required for the customs declaration is available before goods arrive at the EU border.
Why Is the EU Introducing the Requirement?
According to the European Commission, the new requirement is intended to improve the transparency and traceability of steel products imported into the EU.
The Commission wants to gain a clearer understanding of the EU steel supply chain and strengthen its ability to monitor imports and address potential circumvention in relation to measures designed to respond to the effects of global steel overcapacity.
The new rules therefore go beyond simply collecting another piece of information for a customs declaration.
They place greater emphasis on supply-chain traceability.
For businesses, this means that the relationship between an EU importer and its immediate supplier may not provide enough information on its own. Importers may need visibility further upstream to identify where the steel was originally produced.
What Evidence Will Importers Need?
The Mill Test Certificate is the primary document identified in the implementing regulation for demonstrating the country of melt and pour.
The certificate should include:
the country of melt and pour; and
the heat number of the imported steel.
Where a Mill Test Certificate does not contain all the required information, other documents may be considered as complementary evidence. During the initial period, where no Mill Test Certificate can be provided, certain alternative documents may also be considered as standalone evidence, provided they contain the required information on the country of melt and pour and the heat number.
The documents listed by the Commission include:
invoices;
delivery notes;
quality certificates;
relevant clauses in implemented purchase orders or contracts;
long-term supplier declarations;
cost accounting and production documents;
customs documents from the exporting country;
commercial correspondence; and
production descriptions.
Where alternative or complementary evidence is used, customs authorities may carry out documentary checks on the information and supporting documentation provided.
A Transitional Period Applies Until 30 September 2027
There is an important transitional element to the new evidence rules.
From 1 October 2026 until 30 September 2027, the documents listed in the implementing regulation may, in certain circumstances, be considered as standalone evidence where a Mill Test Certificate cannot be provided.
From 1 October 2027, however, those documents will only be accepted as complementary evidence to a Mill Test Certificate.
This means businesses should not treat the transitional period as a reason to delay preparation.
Instead, importers should use the period to strengthen their ability to obtain and maintain reliable Mill Test Certificates from suppliers.
Which Businesses Should Pay Attention?
The requirement applies to importers of steel products falling within the categories covered by Annex I to Regulation (EU) 2026/1384, the EU Steel Regulation.
Businesses should therefore review whether the products they import fall within the affected categories.
This should involve more than simply asking a supplier for a country name.
Importers should consider:
the tariff classification of their products;
whether the products are covered by the EU Steel Regulation;
where the steel used in the products was originally melted and poured;
whether the supplier can provide a Mill Test Certificate;
whether the certificate includes both the country of melt and pour and the heat number; and
what alternative or complementary evidence may be available where information is missing.
The responsibility for providing the required information at import rests within the customs process, which makes early supplier engagement particularly important.
Why Customs Origin and Melt and Pour Are Not the Same Thing
One of the most important practical issues for businesses is understanding that the country of melt and pour is a separate traceability requirement. The country where a finished steel product is manufactured, processed or exported may not necessarily be the country where the underlying steel was originally melted and poured.
This means a business cannot automatically assume that: Country of export = country of manufacture = country of melt and pour
Those may be different countries.
Importers should therefore ensure that their internal customs and procurement teams understand exactly what information is being requested and why supplier documentation must be capable of supporting the specific melt-and-pour declaration.
What Should Steel Importers Do Now?
With the new requirement applying from 1 October 2026, businesses should begin reviewing their processes now.
1. Identify Affected Imports
Review your product portfolio and determine whether imported steel products fall within the categories covered by the EU Steel Regulation.
2. Review Supplier Information
Ask suppliers whether they can identify the country of melt and pour for the steel supplied.
This may require engagement beyond the immediate supplier, particularly where the supplier purchases steel from another producer or manufacturer.
3. Review Mill Test Certificates
Check whether existing Mill Test Certificates contain:
the country of melt and pour; and
the heat number.
If this information is missing, identify whether the supplier can provide additional supporting documentation.
4. Map Your Documentation Flow
Determine how information will travel from:
Steel producer → manufacturer → supplier → importer → customs declaration
A document may exist somewhere in the supply chain but still create a compliance problem if it cannot be obtained and linked to the imported goods when needed.
5. Prepare for Customs Declarations
Ensure that customs teams and customs representatives understand the new requirement and the use of the relevant TARIC document codes.
6. Plan Beyond the Transitional Period
Businesses should prepare for the stricter documentation position expected from 1 October 2027, when the listed alternative documents will no longer be accepted as standalone evidence in place of a Mill Test Certificate.
The Key Compliance Challenge: Supply-Chain Visibility
For many importers, the biggest challenge may not be completing the customs declaration itself. It may be obtaining reliable information from the supply chain.
A company may know its immediate supplier but have limited visibility over:
where the raw steel originated;
which steel mill produced it;
whether the material has been processed in several countries; or
whether documentation and heat-number information has been retained throughout the supply chain.
The new rules make these questions increasingly important.
Businesses that begin reviewing supplier documentation now will have more time to identify gaps before the requirements apply.
The Key Message for Importers
From 1 October 2026, importers of affected steel products into the EU will need to do more than identify the product, value and conventional customs information required for import.
They will also need to declare and support the country where the steel was originally melted and poured.
The new rules reinforce an increasingly important trend in international trade compliance: customs information is becoming more closely connected to supply-chain traceability and upstream production data.
For steel importers, preparation should therefore begin with three questions:
Do we know where our steel was melted and poured?
Can we prove it?
Can we obtain the documentation before the goods reach the EU border?
The answers may determine whether an importer is ready when the new requirement takes effect.
Official Guidance
For the official legal requirements and European Commission information, see:
European Commission; Melt and Pour Evidence Commission guidance on melt and pour evidence
EUR-Lex; Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1963Read the official implementing regulation
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Author
Ann Karen | Head of Growth
Updated: September 2026
Disclaimer
This article is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, customs or tax advice. Businesses should seek professional advice based on their individual trading arrangements and compliance obligations.
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