EU quotas for ferroalloy imports were not exhausted in February–May

Quota usage varies by country and alloy

EU import quotas for ferroalloys were not fully utilized during the second quarter of the protective measures in effect for these products (February 18–May 17, 2026). Kevin Fowkes, a senior consultant at AlloyMetrics, notes this trend, citing current Eurostat data.

However, consumption volumes for all product types exceeded the figures for the first quarter of the quota period (November 18, 2025–February 17, 2026).

Specifically, ferrosilicon (FeSi) imports accounted for 89% of the quota, up from 87% in the first quarter of the protective measures; ferromanganese (FeMn) rose to 71% of the quota (from 65%); and silicomanganese reached 95% of the quota (up from 90% in the first quarter).

As the expert notes, quota utilization varies by country and alloy.

“Distributing volumes among competing suppliers without violating antitrust laws remains a challenge for countries with many producers. Some countries, notably India and Brazil, appear to be circumventing this by stockpiling materials in EU customs warehouses so that the goods can be quickly moved through the bloc’s customs barrier,” he explained.

At the same time, ferroalloy imports from some countries remain significantly below the maximum quota level. Specifically, this applies to Malaysia, South Korea (ferromanganese, 54%), Zambia (silicomanganese, 40%), and South Africa (ferromanganese, 28%). As for South Africa, the country’s leading FeMn producer (the Assmang plant) closed in 2025.

As a reminder, on November 18 of last year, the European Commission imposed definitive safeguard measures on imports of certain ferroalloys into the bloc. They will remain in effect for three years, until November 17, 2028. The decision concluded an 11-month investigation.

The definitive measures consist of establishing tariff-rate quotas (TRQs) for each country separately for duty-free imports of each type of ferroalloy. Imports exceeding these quotas will be subject to a duty equal to the difference between the established price threshold and the actual price of the imported product.