Government anticipates end to reduction in import tariffs on 12 steel products

The federal government decided this Tuesday (19) to bring forward to October 1st the end of the reduction in import taxes on 12 steel products. In 2022, the Executive Management Committee (Gecex) of the Chamber of Foreign Commerce (Camex) approved the reduction of the import tariff on these items by 10% until December 31, 2023. With the new decision, the import tax will return to from 9.6% to 12.8%.

The interim president and minister of Development, Industry, Commerce and Services (MDIC), Geraldo Alckmin (PSB), stated, in a statement, that “Gecex’s decision reflects our commitment to strengthening the national steel industry”. For Alckmin, “the exclusion of these 12 steel products from the reduction in import tariffs will guarantee fairer and more competitive conditions for national manufacturers”.

According to the ministry, “the decision was taken in response to the concerns of the national steel industry, given the substantial increase in imports at prices that are often subject to unfair practices in recent years”. The initiative aims to make Brazilian steel more competitive in the domestic market, helping national manufacturers to face the surge in imports at unfair prices.”

The ministry highlighted that, since 2018, the United States has increased import tariffs on steel and aluminum products. Just like Mexico, which increased, until July 2025, the import tariff to the level of 25% for several products, including iron and steel. “As a result, products from the steel sector in countries, such as China, reach the Brazilian market with prices below the market, harming the purchase of national items”, pointed out the ministry.

As a result, the national steel production sector requested an increase in the import tax on 18 Mercosur Common Nomenclature (NCM) codes. However, Gecex approved the tariff increase for 12 NCM codes with greater potential for economic impact and import volume in the short term.

“The 12 steel NCM codes that return to the Common External Tariff (Tech) are: 7208.37.00 (Coarse Coils); 7208.38.90 (Hot Coils); 7208.39.10 (Hot Coils); 7208.39.90 (Hot Coils); 7209.16.00 (Cold Coil); 7209.17.00 (Cold Coil); 7210.49.10 (Galvanized Sheets); 7210.61.00 (Aluminum-Zinc Coated Sheets); 7213.91.90 (Machine wires); 7222.20.00 (Cold Stainless Steel Bar); 7304.19.00 (Seamless tubes); and 7304.29.39 (Seamless tubes)”, informed the MDIC.