Steel imports from 1 October 2026: no evidence of the country of 'melt and pour', no release

From 1 October 2026, imports of the steel products covered by the new EU Steel Regulation must be accompanied by evidence of the country in which the steel was melted and poured. This is not a condition for a tariff quota or a preference. It is a condition for the import itself. Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1963, published on 31 August 2026, provides that failure to declare the country of 'melt and pour' with verifiable evidence "shall lead to a rejection of the import". The primary evidence is the mill test certificate showing the country of melt and pour and the heat number. The practical difficulty is that the certificate is issued by the mill that rolled or coated the product, which is often not the mill that melted the steel. Many importers will therefore be in the fallback category from day one. This article explains why the requirement was introduced, sets out the legal framework, tests the evidence rules against how steel is actually bought, translates the new rule into UCC terms, and lists what importers should do now.