Japan, Vietnam, Taiwan exceed HRC export limit to EU

Japan exported around 250,000 tons of hot rolled coil (HRC) to the EU in June and July, with around 39,000 tons still awaiting customs clearance. This indicates that Japanese shipments at EU ports could exceed the quota by more than double.

Vietnam’s HRC exports in the same period totaled over 80,000 tons, including at least 65,000 tons carried over from the previous quota. Both countries aim to avoid potential retroactive anti-dumping duties that could be enforced starting December 8.

Taiwan, which exported around 150,000 tons to the EU in July, is also approaching its quota limit, but because Taiwan is not under investigation for dumping, suppliers can postpone customs clearance until January.

Despite existing safeguard measures, the EU has recorded over 6.2 million tons of HRC imports from January to July, about 400,000 tons more than last year. The European steelmakers’ association Eurofer is pushing for a 15% cap on sellers in quotas and tighter import restrictions on Egypt, Japan, India, and Vietnam following anti-dumping investigations.