Anyone shipping steel from Switzerland to Italy or another European Union country needs to be aware of two changes. Since 1 July 2026, the EU has applied new trade defence measures on steel, with duty-free quotas and a 50% tariff above the quotas. Since 1 October 2026, imports into the EU must also declare the steel’s country of melt and pour and its heat number.

The measures also apply to Switzerland. Here is what has changed, which products are affected and which documents to prepare before shipping.

The new EU steel measures at a glance

• Legal basis: Regulation (EU) 2026/1384 of 24 June 2026. Country quotas are allocated by Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1457.
• In force: since 1 July 2026, with no end date. They replace the safeguard measures that expired at the end of June 2026.
• Products: 30 categories of steel products (chapters 72 and 73 of the tariff), listed in Annex I of the regulation.
• Countries: all third countries, including Switzerland. Only Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway (EEA/EFTA) are excluded.
• Duty-free quotas: 18.3 million tonnes in total. Above the quotas, a 50% tariff applies.
• Origin: what counts is non-preferential origin under the Union Customs Code (Art. 59 et seq.).

How the quotas work for Swiss goods

Quotas run each year from 1 July to 30 June and are managed quarterly: the annual volume is divided by four, and any unused volume carries over to the next quarter of the same year. The EU import declaration must state the quota’s order number; the European Commission website shows how much duty-free volume is still available.

For Switzerland there are three situations:

• Switzerland-specific quotas (categories 12, 14, 16, 17, 26 and 27): the “Switzerland” quota, reserved for Swiss goods only, is used first; once it is used up, the “FTA quota – country-specific quota” applies, shared with the EU’s other free-trade partners on a first-come, first-served basis.
• Residual quotas (categories 1B, 3A, 3B, 4A, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 13, 15, 18, 19, 20, 22, 24, 25A, 25B and 28): the “Other countries” quota and the “FTA quota – other countries” are available at the same time; at customs clearance you choose which order number to use.
• Special cases (categories 1A, 2, 4B, 9 and 21): Switzerland has a guaranteed “Switzerland” quota. For categories 2, 4B, 9 and 21 it can also use the “Other countries” quota; for 1A there is only the “Switzerland” quota. In these categories Switzerland has no access to the “FTA quota – other countries”.

Which products are affected

Cat.	Products	Customs headings (first 4 digits)	Quotas for Switzerland
1A	Hot-rolled sheets and strips (non-alloy and other alloy steel)	7208, 7211, 7225, 7226	“Switzerland” only
1B	Hot-rolled sheets and strips (non-alloy and other alloy steel)	7212	Other countries / FTA
2	Cold-rolled sheets (non-alloy and other alloy steel)	7209, 7211, 7225, 7226	“Switzerland” + Other countries
3A	Electrical sheets (other than GOES)	7209	Other countries / FTA
3B	Electrical sheets (other than GOES)	7225, 7226	Other countries / FTA
4A	Metallic-coated sheets	7210, 7212, 7225, 7226	Other countries / FTA
4B	Metallic-coated sheets	7210, 7212, 7225, 7226	“Switzerland” + Other countries
5	Organic-coated sheets	7210, 7212	Other countries / FTA
6	Tin mill products	7209, 7210, 7212	Other countries / FTA
7	Quarto plates (non-alloy and other alloy steel)	7208, 7210, 7225	Other countries / FTA
8	Stainless hot-rolled sheets and strips	7219, 7220	Other countries / FTA
9	Stainless cold-rolled sheets and strips	7219, 7220	“Switzerland” + Other countries
10	Stainless hot-rolled quarto plates	7219	Other countries / FTA
12	Merchant bars and light sections (non-alloy and other alloy steel)	7214, 7215, 7216, 7228	“Switzerland” + country-specific FTA
13	Rebars	7214, 7228	Other countries / FTA
14	Stainless bars and light sections	7222	“Switzerland” + country-specific FTA
15	Stainless wire rod	7221	Other countries / FTA
16	Non-alloy and other alloy wire rod	7213, 7227	“Switzerland” + country-specific FTA
17	Sections of iron or non-alloy steel	7216	“Switzerland” + country-specific FTA
18	Sheet piling	7301	Other countries / FTA
19	Railway material	7302	Other countries / FTA
20	Gas pipes	7306	Other countries / FTA
21	Hollow sections	7306	“Switzerland” + Other countries
22	Seamless stainless tubes and pipes	7304	Other countries / FTA
24	Other seamless tubes	7304	Other countries / FTA
25A	Large welded tubes	7305	Other countries / FTA
25B	Large welded tubes	7305	Other countries / FTA
26	Other welded pipes	7306	“Switzerland” + country-specific FTA
27	Cold-finished bars (non-alloy and other alloy steel)	7215, 7228	“Switzerland” + country-specific FTA
28	Non-alloy wire	7217	Other countries / FTA

Since 1 October 2026: country of melt and pour and heat number

Under Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1963, published on 31 August 2026, importers of Annex I products must present documents to EU customs showing:

• the country where the steel was melted and poured (“melt and pour”);
• the heat number of the imported steel.

Without this information, release of the goods can be blocked. The data therefore needs to be obtained before shipping, not when the truck is already at customs.

Which documents you need

The main document is the manufacturer’s certificate, known as the mill test certificate (MTC), which shows the country of melt and pour and the heat number.

If the certificate is incomplete, it can be supplemented until 30 September 2027 with other documents, provided they contain the country of melt and pour and the heat number. The regulation accepts only the following:

• invoices;
• delivery notes;
• quality certificates and clauses of purchase orders or executed contracts;
• long-term supplier declarations;
• cost accounting and production records;
• customs documents of the exporting country;
• commercial correspondence;
• product descriptions.

EU customs decides case by case whether the supplementary documentation is sufficient.

Checklist for steel exporters to the EU

1. Check whether your goods fall under Annex I of Regulation (EU) 2026/1384, using the full customs code.
2. Involve suppliers and steel mills early: ask for the mill test certificate showing the country of melt and pour and the heat number.
3. Check that the data actually appears on the documents accompanying the goods.
4. Decide in advance how to handle cases where the certificate is missing or incomplete (supplementary documents accepted until 30.9.2027).
5. Check the non-preferential origin of the goods and the applicable quota, so you don’t end up paying the 50% tariff.

Spedimar and steel shipments to Italy

From our base on the border at Chiasso, we ship goods between Switzerland and Italy every day. For steel products, we check the customs code, origin and melt and pour documents with you before departure, so your goods don’t get held at customs.

👉 Contact us, or find out more about our Switzerland–Italy transport with customs clearance and our customs clearance service.

📞 +41 91 682 95 79 📧 info@spedimar.ch

Sources: Regulation (EU) 2026/1384, Implementing Regulations (EU) 2026/1457 and 2026/1963, SECO fact sheet on the new EU steel measures from 1 July 2026. Information as of November 2026: always check the official texts and the status of the quotas on the European Commission website.

Tagged : customs clearance / EU tariffs / steel / Swiss customs / tariff quotas