Several EU steel import quotas were fully exhausted by October 6, 2026, following the start of the fourth-quarter allocation period. Strong demand and stricter EU safeguard measures have limited import availability across key steel products.
Category 1A, including hot-rolled coil (HRC), saw high quota utilization. The quotas for “Other Countries” and Australia were exhausted, while Indonesia had just 336.30 metric tons remaining. Turkey’s quota was also depleted, with an additional 3,213.40 mt awaiting allocation.
Imported HRC was assessed at €595/mt CIF Antwerp in Northern Europe and €590/mt CIF South Europe.
The EU’s revised safeguard measures, effective July 1, 2026, introduced tighter quotas, shared allocations for free trade agreement (FTA) partners and 50% out-of-quota safeguard duties.
Cold-rolled coil (CRC) quotas for “Other Countries” were fully allocated at 24,934 mt. South Korea retained 89.38% of its quota, while EU anti-dumping duties introduced on August 6 for imports from Japan, India, Vietnam, Taiwan and Turkey continued to weigh on buying decisions.
For hot-dipped galvanized steel (HDG), quotas for several origins were exhausted, including “Other Countries,” Japan, Taiwan and Turkey under category 4A, as well as China and Turkey under category 4B.
Quotas for steel plate from “Other Countries,” Turkey and India were also depleted, alongside Turkey’s rebar quota and medium-section quotas for several origins, including FTA partners and North Macedonia.
UK steel safeguard quotas also experienced strong utilization following the quarterly reset. In category 1A, India had just 505 mt remaining from its 8,364 mt fourth-quarter quota, while the 12,440 mt residual quota was fully exhausted by October 6.
In contrast, EU country-specific quota utilization for India remained limited, with only 1,655 mt cleared.
For UK category 4 imports, including hot-dipped galvanized steel, availability remained stronger across country-specific quotas. India recorded the highest utilization rate at 58.7%.
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Becker Group is a European service centre for steel, stainless steel and aluminium, serving customers in the automotive and metal processing industries. Klöckner & Co announced plans to divest the business in January 2026 to focus more strongly on higher value-added products and services.
CEO Guido Kerkhoff said the sale marks another milestone in the company’s strategy to drive profitable growth in higher value-added business. The buyers plan to continue Becker Group’s realignment programme and build on its existing market position.
Becker Group will remain under its existing management team, led by CEO Torsten Gieseke. The realignment programme will focus on sales, procurement, business processes, inventory management and liquidity to stabilise operations and support long-term growth.
No immediate job cuts or site closures are planned at closing. However, the consortium will review the strategic positioning and performance of individual business units as the programme progresses.
Accura is an independent investment firm focused on European mid-market companies in traditional industries. BCB specialises in industrial mid-market businesses and is led by Ulrich Becker, a former member of Klöckner & Co’s Management Board.
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Originalartikel hier lang:
Klöckner agrees to sell becker group to Accura and BCB consortium – EUROMETAL
Water levels on the Rhine fell below August’s record lows at several locations in September, according to Germany’s Federal Institute of Hydrology (BfG). The authority warned that no significant relief was expected in the first half of October, as forecast rainfall was insufficient to sustainably improve water levels.
Low water levels continue to disrupt raw material supplies and steel deliveries for thyssenkrupp Steel in Duisburg. The company’s own barge fleet remains suspended, while smaller-draught vessels chartered from third parties help maintain customer deliveries. A dedicated low-water task force monitors the impact on production and logistics.
Other steelmakers have shifted cargo to rail. Captrain has operated three to four additional weekly trains between Wilhelmshaven and the Ruhr since August, adding 4,000 tonnes of coal capacity. It has also increased coke transport between Germany and France by four to five journeys, moving around 2,000 tonnes per week.
Rhein-Cargo is running additional iron ore trains from Rotterdam to Hüttenwerke Krupp-Mannesmann (HKM) in Duisburg. Meanwhile, much of the scrap previously transported by water has been diverted to road freight.
The disruption has added further pressure to road transport costs. Market participants report that cross-border steel freight rates on routes such as Italy–Ruhr could approach €100 per tonne, compared with around €80/t in August.
With water levels expected to remain low, steelmakers continue to rely on alternative transport options to secure raw material supplies and maintain deliveries.
Originalartikel hier lang:
German water levels remain critical in autumn – EUROMETAL
Water levels on the Rhine fell below August’s record lows at several locations in September, according to Germany’s Federal Institute of Hydrology (BfG). The authority warned that no significant relief was expected in the first half of October, as forecast rainfall was insufficient to sustainably improve water levels.
Low water levels continue to disrupt raw material supplies and steel deliveries for thyssenkrupp Steel in Duisburg. The company’s own barge fleet remains suspended, while smaller-draught vessels chartered from third parties help maintain customer deliveries. A dedicated low-water task force monitors the impact on production and logistics.
Other steelmakers have shifted cargo to rail. Captrain has operated three to four additional weekly trains between Wilhelmshaven and the Ruhr since August, adding 4,000 tonnes of coal capacity. It has also increased coke transport between Germany and France by four to five journeys, moving around 2,000 tonnes per week.
Rhein-Cargo is running additional iron ore trains from Rotterdam to Hüttenwerke Krupp-Mannesmann (HKM) in Duisburg. Meanwhile, much of the scrap previously transported by water has been diverted to road freight.
The disruption has added further pressure to road transport costs. Market participants report that cross-border steel freight rates on routes such as Italy–Ruhr could approach €100 per tonne, compared with around €80/t in August.
With water levels expected to remain low, steelmakers continue to rely on alternative transport options to secure raw material supplies and maintain deliveries.
Originalartikel hier lang:
German water levels remain critical in autumn – EUROMETAL
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