Imported Steel Controls Updated

Summary#

The Order Amending the Import Control List (2026-3) updates which steel products Canada controls at the border and ties that list to the tariff numbers used for the surtax on certain steel imports. It mainly replaces a paragraph of the Import Control List, removes one listed item, and comes into force on June 28, 2026 (with some parts on other dates).

What it does#

• Replaces subsection 82(1) of the Import Control List so that the steel goods now controlled are those with tariff numbers shown in column 4 of Schedule 1 or Schedule 2 of the Order Imposing a Surtax on the Importation of Certain Steel Goods, as those columns read on the day this Order comes into force. The new wording also excludes goods that are listed in section 3 of that surtax order or that are imported in quantities above any established limits.
• Repeals Item 82 of the Import Control List.
• Makes consequential repeals to earlier amending provisions (it repeals Section 2 and subsection 3(2) of the previous Order Amending the Import Control List (SOR/2025-149)).
• Coming into force:
  • Generally at 00:00:00 Eastern Daylight Time on June 28, 2026 (or on the day of registration if registered after that date).
  • Section 2 comes into force on the first anniversary of the day the Order comes into force.
  • Sections 3 and 4 come into force at 24:00:00 Eastern Daylight Time on June 26, 2026.
• The instrument was registered as SOR/2026-120 on June 12, 2026 and published in the Canada Gazette, Part II, on July 1, 2026.

Who's affected#

• Importers and customs brokers handling the steel products listed under the surtax order.
• Companies that buy, use or sell those specific steel products (manufacturers, distributors, domestic steel businesses).
• Government officials who enforce import controls and collect import information.
• It is not spelled out in the Order whether other sectors (for example downstream users of steel) will be directly regulated; the primary effect is on the specific imported steel goods named by tariff number.

Why it matters#

• The change aligns Canada’s import controls with the surtax schedule and the Joint Statement by Canada and the United States on Section 232 Duties on Steel and Aluminum (dated May 17, 2019), and aims to let the government control imports and collect information needed to implement surtax-related measures.
• For businesses that import the affected steel products, this can mean different paperwork, permit or reporting requirements and more government monitoring at the border.
• That can translate into extra administrative work and potential timing impacts for supply chains that rely on those steel imports.