The Russian government has announced that it has introduced a tariff quota on exports of ferrous scrap and waste metals to countries outside the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) effective from January 1, 2026 through December 31, 2026. This decision will allow industry participants to sell additional raw materials on the external market that are not in demand domestically, easing oversupply in the local market.
In August this year, the government expanded the existing quota for exporting scrap and waste ferrous metals outside the EAEU to 1.8 million mt, up from 1.5 million mt, effective until December 31, 2025, as SteelOrbis previously reported.
Tariff quota set at 2.2 million mt
Under the decree, a tariff quota of 2.2 million mt will apply to exports of ferrous scrap and waste metals classified under HS codes 7204 10 000 0, 7204 30 000 0, 7204 41 100 0, 7204 41 910 0, 7204 41 990 0, 7204 49 100 0, 7204 49 300 0, 7204 49 900 0 and 7204 50 000 0.
When exporting ferrous scrap and waste metals within the quota, a duty of five percent is levied, but not less than €15/mt. Volumes exceeding the quota are subject to the same rate of five percent, but the minimum duty is €290/mt.
Allocation will be carried out by the Ministry of Industry and Trade on the basis of customs statistics provided by the Federal Customs Service, reflecting export volumes to non-EAEU countries between January 1, 2024 and December 31, 2025.
According to the decree, the quota will be distributed in two main phases during 2026. Part of the quota will be allocated based on historical export performance, while a smaller portion will be reserved for participants that did not export ferrous scrap in 2024-2025, subject to defined eligibility requirements.
Export licenses required within quota
Exports of ferrous scrap within the tariff quota will require one-time export licenses issued by the Ministry of Industry and Trade. The licenses must be valid either on the date of customs declaration registration or on the date of actual export, depending on the customs declaration procedure applied.