After 16 years, China implements export license management for steel again
On December 12, 2025, the Ministry of Commerce and the General Administration of Customs jointly issued Announcement No. 79, deciding to implement export license management for some steel products from January 1, 2026.
This is the second implementation of China's steel export license management system after 16 years since its cancellation in 2009, marking a new stage in China's steel export management.
The China Iron and Steel Industry Association stated that currently, the country's inclusion of steel products in export license management is an important measure to guide the standardized export of steel products and promote the high-quality development of the steel industry, which is conducive to maintaining the global steel supply and demand pattern and trade balance.
The China Iron and Steel Association stated that continuously improving the management of steel product exports is a key measure for China to accelerate the construction of a new development pattern and ensure that steel products prioritize meeting domestic demand. It is also a necessary measure for China to guide industrial upgrading internally and participate in international supply chain cooperation externally in the context of globalization. This helps to coordinate trade flows, integrate trade channels, promote a positive interaction between international and domestic markets, and ultimately achieve the transformation and upgrading of the steel industry.
According to Announcement No. 79, the steel products included in the export license management involve a total of 300 customs commodity codes, covering the entire industry chain from raw materials to finished products.
In September 2025, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, together with five departments including the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, the Ministry of Commerce, and the State Administration for Market Regulation, jointly issued the "Work Plan for Stable Growth of the Steel Industry (2025-2026)", which clearly stated the need to strengthen the management of steel product exports, maintain export competition order, and optimize the structure of steel export products. Announcement No. 79 is a specific measure to implement this requirement.
Chen Leiming, Executive Chairman and Secretary General of the China Metal Materials Circulation Association, told First Financial reporters that this policy adjustment is a necessary measure to address the multiple challenges faced by the current steel industry.
From January to November 2025, China's steel exports reached 107.7 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 6.7%. The annual export volume is expected to reach 115 million tons, surpassing the historical high of 112 million tons in 2015.
However, there are still structural contradictions behind the growth in export volume, manifested in the decline in export prices and the surge in exports of low value-added primary products. Chen Leiming stated that this "quantity based pricing" export model not only increases energy consumption and carbon emissions, but also easily triggers more international trade frictions, which is not in line with the long-term goal of high-quality development of China's steel industry.
According to data from the General Administration of Customs, China's steel exports reached 58.15 million tons in the first half of 2025, a year-on-year increase of 9.2%; The average export price was 699.3 US dollars per ton, a year-on-year decrease of 10.3%; The export amount was 40.66 billion US dollars, a year-on-year decrease of 2.0%. Among them, in the first half of 2025, China's cumulative export of steel billets was 5.89 million tons, which is three times that of the same period last year, while the average export price decreased by 15.3%.
The phenomenon of a surge in steel billet exports but a decrease in prices in the first half of 2025 reflects that some enterprises are still in the primary stage of price competition. Export license management will increase the compliance costs of low value-added products, forcing enterprises to adjust their product structure, "said Chen Leiming.
In addition, the steel industry has experienced a significant increase in trade friction cases. Since 2024, the Chinese steel industry has encountered over 50 anti-dumping cases, reaching a historic high. Vietnam, India, South Korea, Indonesia and other countries have successively imposed anti-dumping duties on China's hot-rolled coils, medium thick plates and other products, with the highest tax rate reaching 38.02%.
Through license management, enterprises can also be guided to optimize their export market layout, reduce their dependence on traditional markets that have already implemented high anti-dumping duties, and expand into emerging markets such as Africa and Latin America.
Chen Leiming suggested that enterprises should promptly understand the specific product catalog included in management, and prepare application materials such as export contracts and product quality inspection certificates in advance. Starting from December 15, 2025, enterprises can apply for the 2026 license and should plan ahead as soon as possible. Steel companies should increase their R&D investment and develop high-end products such as high-performance bearing steel, gear steel, and high-temperature alloys. Some leading domestic enterprises have started exporting "green steel" products and obtained EPD environmental product declarations through full process carbon verification, reducing carbon emissions by 50% per ton of steel. This transformation is worth learning from.
