The UK’s Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) has removed Vietnam’s exemption from the tariff-rate quota (TRQ) for rebar imports following a review, Kallanish learns from a published government notice.
The category 13 steel products are defined by commodity codes 72142000 and 72149910. The review was initiated on 10 November 2025 after an application was lodged by UK steel producer 7 STEEL UK on the grounds of a substantial change in circumstances. The application indicated that imports from Vietnam of rebar may have surpassed the threshold for exceptions for developing countries.
According to UK regulations, imports from developing country members of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) that account for 3% or less of total imports into the UK should be exempt from TRQs.
The period of investigation (POI) for the review to assess the change in circumstances was 1 October 2024 to 30 September 2025. It found Vietnam had shipped 21,184 tonnes during this period, accounting for 5.535% of imports. The representative period for assessing traditional trade flows was 2017 to 2019.
The TRA recommended to the Secretary of State of Business and Trade that the TRQ should be altered so that rebar imports from Vietnam are no longer excepted from the application of the safeguard measure, and should now have access to the residual quota.
The updated tariff-rate quota applies from 1 January 2026 to 30 June 2026. The residual quota will have 23,514t available for the current quarter, with the 20% cap for any individual exporting country set at 4,703t.
The update also confirms that Ukraine continues to be suspended from the safeguarding measure.
Author: Carrie Bone UK
