China's Ministry of Commerce and the General Administration of Customs have decided to adjust the "Catalogue of Goods Subject to Export License Administration (2025)," announcing the introduction of an export licensing system for certain steel products, effective January 1, 2026.

This adjustment includes steel products under 300 customs commodity codes, encompassing recycled steel raw materials, steel billets, hot-rolled, cold-rolled, coated steel, and some section steel, steel pipe products, and stainless steel products.

In recent years, China's steel exports have reached record highs, but domestic demand has been weak, resulting in increased export volume but decreased prices. Going forward, foreign trade companies will need to obtain export contracts and quality certificates issued by manufacturers to export these goods.

This policy will create short-term pressure on enterprises, but it will accelerate their compliance efforts. In the long run, it will regulate the market, guide upgrading, and promote high-quality development of foreign trade.