India Secures 1.9 MT EU Steel Quota
India’s country-specific EU steel quota could rise to 2.8 million tonnes with residual access, covering more than 80% of its steel exports to the bloc.
India has secured a country-specific tariff-rate quota of 1.9 million tonnes (MT) annually for steel exports to the European Union, while the government expects exporters to access another 0.9 MT through residual quotas, potentially taking total access to 2.8 MT. A Commerce Ministry official said the combined volume would cover more than 80% of India’s steel exports to the EU.
India exported around 3 MT of steel goods to the 27-nation bloc in the last financial year. The new quota follows the EU’s Steel Overcapacity Regulation, which came into force on July 1, 2026. The regulation provides 18.3 MT of duty-free steel import quotas overall, with imports beyond the applicable quota facing a 50% duty.
Indian exporters have already started using the quota and shipping steel to the European market. The Commerce Ministry said benefits for the steel sector under the India-EU Free Trade Agreement have been “frontloaded”, even though the broader agreement has not yet formally entered into force.
The quota covers several steel categories, including hot-rolled and cold-rolled sheets, metallic- and organic-coated sheets, stainless steel products, rebars, wire rods, pipes and tubes. Products without a country-specific allocation can access residual quotas under the EU framework.
However, duty-free quota access does not remove the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). Indian steel exports remain subject to CBAM requirements, with India and the EU working on carbon-footprint measurement, verification and related technical guidelines. Six Indian verification agencies have already applied for recognition by the EU, according to the Commerce Ministry official.