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EU steel safeguard quota allocations almost exhaust for Q1 CY26

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BigMint Bureau

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12 Mar 2026, 16:58 IST

EU steel safeguard quota allocations almost exhaust for Q1 CY26

Global exporters rapidly fill first-quarter EU steel quotas

Turkey nears exhaustion of HRC quota allocation

SteelOrbis: According to data from the European Commission, several import quotas for steel products allocated to countries including Turkey, Algeria, Vietnam, India, Japan, South Korea and China have already been exhausted as the current EU safeguard quota period for the first quarter (January 1-March 31) enters its final month. In addition, more than 75% of quotas for several other steel products have already been utilised.

Among the quotas allocated to Turkey, the country has fully used its quotas of 43,033 tonnes (t) for CRC (allocated under the other countries category), 97,074 t for wire rod, 1,715 t for railway material, and 37,698 t for other welded pipes. In addition, 97.59% of Turkey's 393,977 t quota for hot-rolled coil (HRC) under category 1A has already been consumed.

Looking at other countries, Algeria has already exhausted its 110,266 t quota for HRC (1A). India has fully utilised its 77,805 t quota for organic coated sheets and 18,833 t quota for gas pipes, while South Korea has used up its 5,219 t quota for angles and sections. Meanwhile, China has exhausted its 8,367 t quota for large welded tubes (25B).

Among other exporters, Vietnam has fully consumed its 43,033 t quota for CRC and 10,608 t quota for organic coated sheets, while Japan has exhausted its 7,347 t quota for tin mill products. All of these quotas fall under the other countries allocation.

In addition, Taiwan has used 98.22% of its 11,266 t quota for CRC and 95.93% of its 116,832 t quota for metallic coated sheets (4A) under the same other countries category.

For South Korea, quota usage has also been high across several product categories, reaching 78.28% for electrical sheets (3B), 86.23% for metallic coated sheets (4A), 90.23% for metallic coated sheets (4B) and 97.56% for tin mill products.

Meanwhile, China has utilised 99.79% of its 30,628 t quota for electrical sheets (3B). The United Kingdom has used 90.02% of its 35,001 t quota for metallic coated sheets (4A), while Malaysia has nearly exhausted its 14,924 t quota for wire rod, reaching 99.99% usage. In addition, Macedonia has utilised 80.07% of its 6,955 t quota for gas pipes and 88.55% of its 25,948 t quota for hollow sections.

Outlook

With several EU safeguard quotas already exhausted and many others nearing full utilisation, import activity into the EU is likely to slow in the remaining weeks of Q1 CY'26. Exporters that have already filled their allocations may redirect shipments to alternative markets until the next quota window opens in Q2 CY'26. Overall, the rapid pace of quota utilisation reflects strong shipment flows into the EU early in the quarter.

Note: This article has been written in accordance with a content exchange agreement between SteelOrbis and BigMint.