The UK has decided to revoke its safeguard measures on cold-rolled sheets as the country's sole producer, Tata Steel, has ceased production of these products for domestic sale. The Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) published the notice on January 22, 2025, and the decision took effect the following day. This move applies to various category 2 steel products, including non-alloy and other alloy cold-rolled sheets.
The decision follows a review initiated in November 2024, prompted by Tata Steel's application, which argued that the changing circumstances since the safeguard measures were introduced made them unnecessary. The TRA concluded that lifting the measures would not cause serious harm to UK steel producers.
This development comes as India has utilized 47% of its quota, with South Korea using 72%, while the EU and Others have used little of their allowances. The UK's Q1 quota usage shows that 73.6% of the EU's quota remains, with 47% of India's and 72% of South Korea's quotas still available.
The revocation of safeguard measures is expected to impact the market dynamics for cold-rolled steel products, which are crucial for manufacturing components in the automotive sector and household appliances.