The UK Trade Regulatory Authority recommends changing the tariff quota for category 12A products - alloy alloy ingots and light profiles – after a review, Kallanish reports.
This was done following a review requested by the Confederation of the British Metalworking Industry (CBM) due to changing circumstances and the "current lack of viable domestic production" of the products.
The data in the Expected Final Determination Statement shows that trade flows for this product category have changed since 2017/18. The total volume of imports increased "significantly", which led to a significant increase in the number of goods imported from Spain and Poland, while imports from almost all other sources decreased significantly.
The review investigation period was from October 1, 2024 to September 30, 2025. During this time, production increased by 62% to 94,009 tons compared to June 2017-2018.
Most of the review is devoted to the status of Speciality Steel UK (SSUK) against the background of statements about the cessation of production in this area in 2025. SSUK, which is registered as an interested party, stated that it has the capacity to produce these goods, but did not provide evidence to confirm this, and did not comment on the allegations about the conservation of the Rotherham plant.
The review notes the termination of SSUK's activities and the appointment of an official manager in August 2025.
Several importers registered in the case, including Solid Swivel, Cooper and Turner, and Tinsley Bridge, stated that they had tried to purchase category 12A products from SSUK during the POI, but were unsuccessful.
While the TRA sees this as a change in circumstances, it also states that "there is sufficient evidence that British manufacturers have not stopped producing Category 12A products, and therefore we do not have the legal authority to revoke the TRQ for category 12A," according to materials provided by 7 Steel and British Steel.
"Thus, we have come to the conclusion that the protective measure is appropriate in order to allow consumers of category 12A products to purchase imported goods without significant risk of charging a protective duty exceeding the quota, and, therefore, the tariff rate corresponds to the conditions of the domestic market," the report says.
.TRA intends to recommend changing the quota allocation so that it applies only to Category 12A products manufactured in the UK during the POI. In this case, the measure will be changed so that the import of the following product codes is no longer included in the TRQ for category 12A: 7228
