Specialty Steel: Reporting Country of Melt and Pour

Summary#

This is the Order Amending the General Import Permit No. 81 — Specialty Steel Products: SOR/2024-215. It adds a new definition for where steel is first produced in liquid form, and makes importers give that country information and other supporting details when bringing specialty steel into Canada. The changes come into force on November 5, 2024 (or on the day the order is registered if that is later).

What it does#

• Adds a definition for country of melt and pour — the country where the raw steel was first produced in liquid form and poured into a first solid state (slab, billet, ingot, or finished mill product).
• Requires the resident of Canada who accounts for goods under the Customs Act to include the code GIP81 or LGI81 on accounting or interim accounting documents.
• Requires importers to state the country of melt and pour at the time of import in the form and manner set by the Canada Border Services Agency.
• Gives the government the ability to ask importers, within a time set by the department, for documents and records needed to determine country of origin, country of melt and pour, import value, or quantity.
• Creates limited exemptions:
  • The accounting and immediate country-of-melt-and-pour reporting rules do not apply to a CSA importer for goods released under paragraph 32(2)(b) of the Customs Act.
  • The requirement to state country of melt and pour does not apply if the total value for duty is $5,000 or less, or if the goods are:
    • stranded wire, ropes, cables or the like, not electrically insulated;
    • barbed wires or fencing wires; or
    • wire nails, tacks, pins, staples or the like.
• Adds the country of melt and pour to the list of required details about imported specialty steel.

Who's affected#

• Importers of specialty steel products into Canada.
• Customs brokers and others who prepare accounting under the Customs Act.
• Entities using the CSA (Customs Self Assessment) program may be unaffected for certain releases, because a CSA importer exemption is included.
• The Canada Border Services Agency, which will receive the country-of-melt-and-pour information and set the form and manner for reporting.
• It is less clear from the order how foreign steel producers will be directly affected; the rule mainly changes reporting and documentation requirements for importers.

Why it matters#

• Importers will need to collect and report one more specific piece of information — where the steel was first melted and poured — which can mean more paperwork at import.
• That extra information makes it easier for Canadian authorities to check the origin and value of specialty steel shipments.
• Small shipments (value $5,000 or less) and certain wire products are exempt, so not all cross-border shipments will face the new reporting step.
• The change may affect clearance times, compliance work for importers, and record-keeping practices.