Multiple challenges and responses faced by high-end steel exports

High end steel is the core foundational material for strategic industries such as nuclear power, aviation, marine engineering, and new energy vehicles, and its research and manufacturing level directly reflects a country's industrial competitiveness. As China's steel industry continues to move towards high-end and green development, the pace of high-end steel going global is accelerating. However, major economies such as Europe and the United States continue to tighten carbon rules, impose tariffs, and strengthen supply chain security reviews, which pose multiple obstacles to China's high-end steel development in the international market.
One is the continuous tightening of carbon constraints and green certification. The EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) has officially entered the pricing and declaration stage in 2026. The certificate unit price in the first quarter of 2026 is 75.36 euros/ton of carbon dioxide equivalent, and the certificate clearance will be implemented from 2027. If the exporter is unable to provide verified actual emission data, the EU will adopt a higher default emission value, which will significantly increase the cost of the enterprise. At present, the EU's default carbon dioxide emissions for China are at a relatively high level globally. In addition, carbon footprint accounting and environmental product declaration have become mandatory entry requirements for international steel procurement, requiring companies to invest resources in establishing accounting systems and obtaining certifications, resulting in corresponding increases in export costs.
The second is the layered restrictions on tariff quotas and trade remedies. The United States announced on April 2, 2026, in accordance with Article 232, that from April 6, 2026, the import tariff base for steel, aluminum, and copper products will be changed to the full customs value, and the tax rate will be maintained at 50%, with a derivative tax rate of 25%. On the EU side, starting from July 1, 2026, the duty-free import quota for steel will be reduced from 34.5 million tons to 18.3459 million tons, a decrease of about 47%. The excess quota will be subject to a 50% tariff, and the "melting and casting place" origin rules will be introduced to block the passage of third country transit to avoid tariffs. In addition, the European Union has initiated a safeguard measure investigation on oriented electrical steel, and anti-dumping cases in markets such as India and Southeast Asia are becoming more frequent. The coverage and intensity of relief measures faced by high-end steel continue to expand.
The third issue is the high cost of mutual recognition and certification of standards. Each country's technical regulations and standard systems are independent of each other, and strict access certifications are implemented in application fields such as nuclear power (ASME/RCC-M), aviation (NADCAP/AMS/EN 9100), and marine engineering (DNV/ABS/NK). Enterprises must conduct repeated testing and certification for different markets, with long cycles and high costs. As the scope of carbon tariff regulation extends from raw materials to downstream products, the competition for the interpretation of global green standards intensifies, and the discourse power of China's high-end steel in standard connection and certification mutual recognition still needs to be improved.
Fourthly, the threshold for supply chain compliance has been raised. The EU Regulation on the Prohibition of Forced Labor Products (EU 2024/3015) is scheduled to be fully implemented on December 14, 2027, and products exported to Europe will need to complete full chain traceability by then; The EU's Due Diligence Directive on Corporate Sustainability (CSDDD) requires member states to complete the domestic legal transformation by July 26, 2028. Large enterprises with over 5000 employees and an annual net turnover of over 1.5 billion euros worldwide are required to fulfill their environmental and human rights due diligence obligations from July 26, 2029. Due diligence on environmental protection and human rights has become a prerequisite for exports, requiring companies to optimize their supply chain management processes and retain complete documentation, significantly increasing the burden of compliance operations.
In response to the multiple challenges faced by high-end steel exports, the customs has focused on its functions and provided assistance, continuously improved the technical trade measures warning and response mechanism, dynamically tracked and judged changes in key market regulations and standards, identified compliance bottlenecks and difficulties in enterprise exports, and regularly conducted risk research and policy interpretation. At the same time, we will provide precise compliance technical guidance, optimize customs clearance facilitation services, and effectively help enterprises reduce export compliance costs and avoid trade risks.
To address the risks and challenges of various technical trade measures, it is necessary for business entities, government departments, and industry associations to work together and systematically promote. Enterprises can actively benchmark international market access rules, improve their internal compliance management system, accelerate the completion of carbon footprint accounting and green access certification, deeply cultivate green low-carbon smelting processes and high-end steel research and development, and gradually transition from passive adaptation rules to active participation rules. Industry associations can play a bridging role, relying on the Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) platform of the steel industry to summarize overseas standard dynamics, organize compliance training and industry exchanges, and assist leading enterprises in exporting Chinese standards and participating in international rule making. In addition, local relevant departments should also strengthen policy and financial support to assist steel enterprises in carrying out green and low-carbon transformation and certification testing work, effectively reducing the burden and relieving difficulties for enterprises.