Starting October 1, 2026, steel imports into the EU will have a new item on the customs checklist. For affected steel products, proof must be provided of which country the steel was originally melted and first cast.
The EU calls this "Melt and Pour". In simple terms: it is no longer sufficient to only know which country the goods are supplied from or what origin they have on standard trade documents. The EU wants to know where the steel actually comes from.
The standard proof for this is the Mill Test Certificate, or MTC for short. This is the test certificate from the steel mill. It should show the melt-and-pour country and the heat number, i.e., the number of the respective steel melt.
Important for Swiss and British companies: The rule does not apply to normal steel imports into Switzerland or the United Kingdom. However, if affected steel is supplied from Switzerland or the United Kingdom to the EU, proof may be required. For a shipment from Basel to Germany, this can be just as relevant as for a container from Asia.
There is a transition period until September 30, 2027. During this time, other suitable documentation can also be accepted, provided that the melt-and-pour country and heat number can be clearly identified from it.
If the information is missing or cannot be verified, the import can be rejected. In the worst case, the goods end up at the border or in the terminal and you're left making phone calls to track down the documents.
The background is the new EU steel regulation. It provides for a duty-free quota of a total of 18.3 million tons. Quantities outside the quota are subject to 50 percent tariffs.