European Commission announces UK steel quota volumes

UK hot-rolled coil (HRC) producers have a 114,460t duty-free quota under the EU's steel safeguard for the first quarter of 2021, the European Commission announced today.

The UK will have a 115,732t HRC quota for the second quarter.

Producer Tata Steel will have a 76,842t quota for cold-rolled coil (CRC) in the first quarter, and a 77,696t quota in the following three months, the document said. Tata is the UK's only CRC producer. It will have a 31,075t quota for 4A hot-dip galvanised (HDG) in the first quarter, and a 31,421t quota for April-June.

The UK will have a 31,075t quota of 4B automotive gauge HDG for January-March, and a 31,421t quota for the next quarter.

UK mills will be able to sell 86,672t of merchant bar into the EU in the first quarter, and 87,635t in the second quarter. They can ship 113,112t of wire rod in the first quarter, and 134,591t in the second quarter, and 23,89t and 24,145t of sections over the same periods.

Given the changes, the UAE will also be excluded from the European safeguard for hollow sections and other welded pipes. Turkey will be excluded for 25A large welded tubes, while China will be included for seamless stainless tubes and pipes.

Turkey will see its rebar quota reduced to 58,826t for the first quarter and 59,480t for the second quarter, from over 75,000t each previously.

Interested parties have five days from today to comment on the decision.

By Colin Richardson