Will Your Steel Shipment Be Blocked at Customs on January 1st?

Effective January 1, 2026, China will implement export license management for certain steel products based on Announcement No. 79 of 2025.

Previously, under Announcement No. 17, the focus of regulation was on "post-export audits," tracing tax compliance after the goods had been exported. This new regulation shifts the regulatory checkpoint forward, transforming the customs supervision model into mandatory "pre-export licensing." This poses an imminent business risk for global buyers.

Applying for a license requires two mandatory conditions: a genuine export trade contract and traceable Mill Test Certificates (MTCs).

Scope of Control: Primarily covers stainless steel pipes, flanges, fittings, and various plates and profiles.

If your supplier cannot provide the corresponding export contract and genuine factory MTCs for the above products, the goods will be denied customs clearance.

If your supplier lacks compliance qualifications, you will face:

• 1 Delivery Interruption Risk: The supplier cannot obtain a license, the goods are intercepted by customs, resulting in order delivery failure and directly disrupting your production plan.
• 2 Prepayment Loss Risk: If the supplier is forced out of the market due to compliance requirements, your prepayment will face significant bad debt risk.
• 3 Supply Instability: The market will eliminate non-compliant low-priced products, returning to a true cost system. You will face significant price increases from suppliers or a supply vacuum.

SMLSCO consistently adheres to full-process compliant operations.

As a service provider with large inventory, SMLSCO holds complete export contracts and original factory MTCs, ensuring a standardized and guaranteed application process.

We are fully prepared to ensure that your orders are still delivered on time after the new regulations take effect on January 1, 2026.

If you need a stable and reliable supply partner, please contact us.