On February 21, 2024 Global Affairs Canada (GAC) announced new trade import data reporting requirements for Imported Steel products controlled under general import permits (GIPs) 80 and 81. The new requirement is to report the Country of Melt and Pour. Currently, this reporting requirement is optional.  As of November 5, 2024 this reporting requirement will become mandatory.

At this time the only option for this reporting is to include the Country of Melt in pour in the Single Window Integrated Import Declaration (SWI IID). There is no option for importers to self report directly to GAC. 

Global Affairs Canada states this reporting requirement is being added to “increase transparency in the domestic supply chain for steel imports and to provide a more comprehensive picture of the origins of imported steel goods”

What is the Country of melt and pour?

Generally, country of melt and pour (COM) is the original location where raw steel is first produced in a steel-making furnace in a liquid state and then poured into its first solid shape. This country may be different from the CBSA country of origin and this information is usually found on the mill test certificate or report.

For CBSA the Country of Origin is the final place of production of the finished good being imported. 

For example: Wire hangers can have their final place of production in the United States, but the steel used to produce those hangers may have been melted and poured in India.  So you would have a Country of Origin of USA+State and a Country of Melt and Pour of India.

Mill Test Certificates and Reports 

Ultimately, a Mill Test Certificate or report is a document issued by the manufacturer that attests to the standards and composition of the metal.  It is a key document that allows for the traceability of the product and includes the location of the factory that transformed raw steel into its first solid shape.

What products fall under General Import Permits (GIP) 80 and 81?

Global Affairs Canada Notice to Importers Steel General Import Permits No 80 and 81 - Carbon and Speciality Steel Product - Serial No. 1032 contains the list of HS Tariff codes and general descriptions of what products are included in these GIPs.

GIP 80 covers Carbon Steel Products described as:

“Semi-finished products (ingots, blooms, billets, slabs and sheet bars), plate, sheet and strip, wire rods, wire and wire products, railway-type products, bars, structural shapes and units, pipes and tubes, but excludes the specialty steel products referred to in item 81. These items are covered by HS headings 7206-7217, 7225-7229, 7302, 7304-7306.”

GIP 81 is for Specialty Steel products described as: 

“Stainless steel flat-rolled products (sheet, strip and plate), stainless steel bar, stainless steel pipe and tube, stainless steel wire and wire products, stainless steel in ingots or other primary forms, semi-finished products of stainless steel, alloy tool steel, mold steel and high-speed steel. These items are covered by HS headings 7218-7224, 7301, 7308, 7312-7313, and 7317.”

How can you report this information?

There are a variety of ways you can report this information to your customs broker to include in your declaration:

1. Provide the Mill Test Certificates with each shipment
2. Add a field to your customs documents for the Country of Melt and Pour for each product
3. Request your suppliers clearly identify this information on their customs documents.

It is important to note however, that as an Importer, Global Affair Canada may at any time request supporting proof to substantiate any declaration made regarding the Country of melt and pour. So be sure to have supporting documentation on hand.