The European Commission has decided how to classify strips steel in the customs tariff and which tariff heading is appropriate.
The decision concerns alloy strip steel with a thickness of approximately 0.02 millimetres. This kind of strip steel is wound on rolls. The cross-section of the alloy steel is rectangular and the surface is not treated.
Strip steel is used in the electrotechnical industry to produce transformer cores, sensor cores, magnetic amplifiers, pulse compressors, beads and cores for saturable chokes.
This type of steel is produced by a melting and spinning process, which involves continuous casting.
The customs tariff number for such products is 7228 60 80.
The EU has decided that these should be considered as “bar steel” for the purposes of the customs tariff. This is because the steel strip has a constant cross-section in the form of a rectangle over its entire length. This is considered to be a bar within the framework of the customs tariff.
Moreover, melt spinning is a different metal-working process from rolling.
The continuous casting process also differs from die casting.
For these reasons, the product cannot be classified under tariff heading 7226 as “flat-rolled products of other alloy steel” or under heading 7227 as wire rod. Rather, the product is made of different alloy steel bars and therefore tariff heading 7228 60 80 is correct.
Binding tariff information concerning steel strip invalidated
The consequence for businesses is that all Binding Tariff Information (BTI) issued will become invalid upon adoption of this classification regulation.
Companies are therefore likely to receive a notification from customs that the binding tariff information is no longer valid.
However, the BTI can still be used for a period of up to three months under certain conditions.
Companies that disagree with the tariff heading 7228 60 80 for steel strapping can of course also file an appeal and obtain binding clarification of the tariff classification of the goods.
Dieser Artikel wurde am 22. September 2020 erstellt. Er wurde am 30. September 2023 aktualisiert. Die fachliche Zweitprüfung hat Rechtsanwalt Dr. Tristan Wegner durchgeführt.
