British steel exports to European Union (EU) member states will not be automatically subject to 25pc tariffs after Brexit, according to the latest Tariff Rate Quota (TRQ) allocations published by the European Commission on Oct 30.
Pursuant to the UK’s withdrawal agreement with the EU on January 1, 2021, UK-based steelmakers can export the following steel products and volumes through the first two quarters of 2021 before incurring a 25pc duty:
Non-Alloy and Other Alloy Wire Rod
133,112mt – 01.01.2021 – 31.03.2021
134,591mt – 01.04.2021 – 30.06.2021
Non-Alloy and Other Alloy Hot Rolled Sheets and Strips
114,460mt – 01.01.2021 – 31.03.2021
115,732mt – 01.04.2021 – 30.06.2021
Non-Alloy and Other Alloy Merchant Bars and Light Sections
86,672mt – 01.01.2021 – 31.03.2021
87,635mt – 01.04.2021 – 30.06.2021
Non-Alloy and Other Cold Rolled Sheets
76,843mt – 01.01.2021 – 31.03.2021
77,696mt – 01.04.2021 – 30.06.2021
Hollow Sections
40,002mt – 01.01.2021 – 31.03.2021
40,446mt – 01.04.2021 – 30.06.2021
Tin Mill Products
35,562mt – 01.01.2021 – 31.03.2021
35,957mt – 01.04.2021 – 30.06.2021
Metallic Coated Sheets
31,076mt – 01.01.2021 – 31.03.2021
31,421mt – 01.04.2021 – 30.06.2021
Organic Coated Sheets
30,652mt – 01.01.2021 – 31.03.2021
30,992mt – 01.04.2021 – 30.06.2021
Angles, Shapes and Sections of Iron or Non-Alloy Steel
23,891mt – 01.01.2021 – 31.03.2021
24,156mt – 01.04.2021 – 30.06.2021
According to UK manufacturers’ association, Make UK, the UK steel industry could have faced an £80mn bill from EU Steel Safeguard tariffs in the first half of next year without these specific allocations of steel export tariff-free quotas.
Gareth Stace director general of UK Steel, a division of Make UK, commented that the EC’s latest TRQs “helps all steel companies in the UK to give their European customers a greater level of certainty on deals done today, for delivery in 2021”.