Heading · Section XV
7203: Ferrous products obtained by direct reduction of iron ore and other spongy ferrous products, in lumps, pellets or similar forms; iron having a minimum purity by weight of 99,94 %, in lumps, pellets or similar forms
- FreeUK
- FreeEU
- 5%Türkiye
- FreeUSA
- US$4.8bnWorld trade in 2024
Heading 7203 is divided into 2 six-digit subheadings and sits in chapter 72, iron and steel.
The UK Global Tariff divides heading 7203 into 2 tariff lines; the duty is duty-free.
In the EU Combined Nomenclature, heading 7203 covers 2 tariff lines and the duty is duty-free.
The Turkish Customs Tariff Schedule divides heading 7203 into 2 tariff lines; the statutory rate is 5%.
In the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States, heading 7203 covers 2 tariff lines and the duty is duty-free.
In 2024, countries exported heading 7203 goods worth US$4.8bn (−7.3% year on year).
The largest exporter was Russia (US$875.5m), followed by Oman.
The biggest buyer was Saudi Arabia, with imports of US$1.1bn.
The United Kingdom ranked 31st among 94 exporters with US$2.6m.
The United Kingdom imported US$1.5m.
Duty rates compared
The Turkish schedule prints the statutory rate set under Customs Law 474. The rate applied at import is laid down in the Import Regime Decision and can be lower, or different by country of origin.
Subheadings 2
World trade in 2024
Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$335.3kUS$335.3k+US$12.5m+US$105.5m+> US$667m
Exports: 94
- Russia: US$875.5m
- Oman: US$791.1m
- Trinidad & Tobago: US$667m
- United States: US$587.4m
- India: US$494.2m
- Libya: US$263.5m
- Sweden: US$237.8m
- Malaysia: US$236.6m
- Venezuela: US$105.5m
- Qatar: US$66.5m
- Belgium: US$65.7m
- Iran: US$57.1m
- Bahrain: US$49.6m
- Poland: US$48.8m
- China: US$43.7m
- Algeria: US$39.7m
- United Arab Emirates: US$38.6m
- Brazil: US$33.5m
- France: US$18.9m
- Italy: US$16.4m
- Canada: US$16.3m
- Uganda: US$12.5m
- South Africa: US$10.9m
- Uzbekistan: US$9.1m
- Angola: US$8.9m
- Japan: US$8.3m
- Austria: US$5m
- Netherlands: US$3.9m
- Spain: US$3.6m
- Kazakhstan: US$2.9m
- United Kingdom: US$2.6m
- Kuwait: US$2.6m
- Germany: US$2.4m
- Côte d’Ivoire: US$2.1m
- South Korea: US$1.9m
- Egypt: US$1.3m
- Czechia: US$1.3m
- Romania: US$1.2m
- Taiwan: US$913.8k
- Denmark: US$816.1k
- Burkina Faso: US$470.4k
- Greece: US$411.5k
- Bolivia: US$355.5k
- Australia: US$335.3k
- Hungary: US$286.2k
- Bulgaria: US$235.3k
- Singapore: US$216.3k
- Thailand: US$214.5k
- Lithuania: US$203.7k
- Portugal: US$194.5k
- Norway: US$172.1k
- Finland: US$149.4k
- Türkiye: US$149k
- North Korea: US$120.4k
- Zimbabwe: US$102.4k
- Slovakia: US$77.2k
- Ghana: US$61.6k
- Senegal: US$50.2k
- Georgia: US$46.5k
- Slovenia: US$40.5k
Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$97.8kUS$97.8k+US$6.2m+US$105.4m+> US$244.6m
Imports: 144
- Saudi Arabia: US$1.1bn
- United States: US$672.8m
- Türkiye: US$374.6m
- Nepal: US$308.6m
- Germany: US$244.6m
- Italy: US$234.3m
- Austria: US$221.8m
- India: US$186.4m
- Mexico: US$184.2m
- Vietnam: US$128m
- Bangladesh: US$121.8m
- Kuwait: US$107.2m
- China: US$106.2m
- Spain: US$105.4m
- Belgium: US$97.8m
- South Korea: US$94.2m
- France: US$94.2m
- Egypt: US$79.2m
- Poland: US$73.4m
- Indonesia: US$36.4m
- Netherlands: US$32.2m
- Portugal: US$32.2m
- Uzbekistan: US$25.4m
- Azerbaijan: US$22.2m
- Brazil: US$19.4m
- Bhutan: US$19.1m
- Slovenia: US$14.9m
- Kenya: US$14.6m
- Japan: US$13.8m
- Sweden: US$11.6m
- Thailand: US$8.7m
- Morocco: US$8.2m
- Malaysia: US$7.8m
- Pakistan: US$7.1m
- Canada: US$6.2m
- Greece: US$5m
- Mali: US$2.5m
- Slovakia: US$2.5m
- Oman: US$2.4m
- Denmark: US$2.2m
- Bahrain: US$2.2m
- Czechia: US$2.1m
- Croatia: US$1.9m
- Madagascar: US$1.7m
- Russia: US$1.6m
- United Kingdom: US$1.5m
- Norway: US$1.4m
- Cambodia: US$1.2m
- Finland: US$989.4k
- Georgia: US$810.7k
- Philippines: US$716k
- Australia: US$601.9k
- Tanzania: US$520.4k
- Bulgaria: US$389k
- Armenia: US$361.6k
- Taiwan: US$360.7k
- United Arab Emirates: US$340.3k
- Iceland: US$339.9k
- Singapore: US$338.1k
- Sri Lanka: US$324.6k
Top exporters
| Rank | Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US$875.5m | 18.1% | |
| 2 | US$791.1m | 16.3% | |
| 3 | US$667m | 13.8% | |
| 4 | US$587.4m | 12.1% | |
| 5 | US$494.2m | 10.2% | |
| 6 | US$263.5m | 5.4% | |
| 7 | US$237.8m | 4.9% | |
| 8 | US$236.6m | 4.9% | |
| 9 | US$105.5m | 2.2% | |
| 10 | US$66.5m | 1.4% |
Top importers
| Rank | Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US$1.1bn | 22.5% | |
| 2 | US$672.8m | 13.9% | |
| 3 | US$374.6m | 7.7% | |
| 4 | US$308.6m | 6.4% | |
| 5 | US$244.6m | 5.1% | |
| 6 | US$234.3m | 4.8% | |
| 7 | US$221.8m | 4.6% | |
| 8 | US$186.4m | 3.9% | |
| 9 | US$184.2m | 3.8% | |
| 10 | US$128m | 2.6% |
Legal notes
Notes
1. In this chapter and, in the case of notes (d), (e) and (f) throughout the nomenclature, the following expressions have the meanings hereby assigned to them:
(a) Pig iron
Iron-carbon alloys not usefully malleable, containing more than 2 % by weight of carbon and which may contain by weight one or more other elements within the following limits:
not more than 10 % of chromium,
not more than 6 % of manganese,
not more than 3 % of phosphorus,
not more than 8 % of silicon,
a total of not more than 10 % of other elements.
(b) Spiegeleisen
Iron-carbon alloys containing by weight more than 6 % but not more than 30 % of manganese and otherwise conforming to the specification at (a) above.
(c) Ferro-alloys
Alloys in pigs, blocks, lumps or similar primary forms, in forms obtained by continuous casting and also in granular or powder forms, whether or not agglomerated, commonly used as an additive in the manufacture of other alloys or as de-oxidants, de-sulphurising agents or for similar uses in ferrous metallurgy and generally not usefully malleable, containing by weight 4 % or more of the element iron and one or more of the following:
more than 10 % of chromium,
more than 30 % of manganese,
more than 3 % of phosphorus,
more than 8 % of silicon,
a total of more than 10 % of other elements, excluding carbon, subject to a maximum content of 10 % in the case of copper.
(d) Steel
Ferrous materials other than those of heading 7203 which (with the exception of certain types produced in the form of castings) are usefully malleable and which contain by weight 2 % or less of carbon. However, chromium steels may contain higher proportions of carbon.
(e) Stainless steel
Alloy steels containing, by weight, 1,2 % or less of carbon and 10,5 % or more of chromium, with or without other elements.
(f) Other alloy steel
Steels not complying with the definition of stainless steel and containing by weight one or more of the following elements in the proportion shown:
0,3 % or more of aluminium,
0,0008 % or more of boron,
0,3 % or more of chromium,
0,3 % or more of cobalt,
0,4 % or more of copper,
0,4 % or more of lead,
1,65 % or more of manganese,
0,08 % or more of molybdenum,
0,3 % or more of nickel,
0,06 % or more of niobium,
0,6 % or more of silicon,
0,05 % or more of titanium,
0,3 % or more of tungsten (wolfram),
0,1 % or more of vanadium,
0,05 % or more of zirconium,
0,1 % or more of other elements (except sulphur, phosphorus, carbon and nitrogen), taken separately.
(g) Remelting scrap ingots of iron or steel
Products roughly cast in the form of ingots without feeder-heads or hot tops, or of pigs, having obvious surface faults and not complying with the chemical composition of pig iron, spiegeleisen or ferro-alloys.
(h) Granules
Products of which less than 90 % by weight passes through a sieve with a mesh aperture of 1 mm and of which 90 % or more by weight passes through a sieve with a mesh aperture of 5 mm.
(ij) Semi-finished products
Continuous cast products of solid section, whether or not subjected to primary hot-rolling; and other products of solid section, which have not been further worked than subjected to primary hot-rolling or roughly shaped by forging, including blanks for angles, shapes or sections.
These products are not presented in coils.
(k) Flat-rolled products
Rolled products of solid rectangular (other than square) cross-section, which do not conform to the definition at (ij) above in the form of:
coils of successively superimposed layers, or
straight lengths, which if of a thickness less than 4,75 mm are of a width measuring at least 10 times the thickness or if of a thickness of 4,75 mm or more are of a width which exceeds 150 mm and measures at least twice the thickness.
Flat-rolled products include those with patterns in relief derived directly from rolling (for example, grooves, ribs, chequers, tears, buttons, lozenges) and those which have been perforated, corrugated or polished, provided that they do not thereby assume the character of articles or products of other headings.
Flat-rolled products of a shape other than rectangular or square, of any size, are to be classified as products of a width of 600 mm or more, provided that they do not assume the character of articles or products of other headings.
(l) Bars and rods, hot-rolled, in irregularly wound coils
Hot-rolled products in irregularly wound coils, which have a solid cross-section in the shape of circles, segments of circles, ovals, rectangles (including squares), triangles or other convex polygons (including ‘flattened circles’ and ‘modified rectangles’, of which two opposite sides are convex arcs, the other two sides being straight, of equal length and parallel). These products may have indentations, ribs, grooves or other deformations produced during the rolling process (reinforcing bars and rods).
(m) Other bars and rods
Products which do not conform to any of the definitions at (ij), (k) or (l) above or to the definition of wire, which have a uniform solid cross-section along their whole length in the shape of circles, segments of circles, ovals, rectangles (including squares), triangles or other convex polygons (including ‘flattened circles’ and ‘modified rectangles’, of which two opposite sides are convex arcs, the other two sides being straight, of equal length and parallel).
These products may:
have indentations, ribs, grooves or other deformations produced during the rolling process (reinforcing bars and rods),
be twisted after rolling.
(n) Angles, shapes and sections
Products having a uniform solid cross-section along their whole length which do not conform to any of the definitions at (ij), (k), (l) or (m) above or to the definition of wire.
Chapter 72 does not include products of heading 7301 or 7302.
(o) Wire
Cold-formed products in coils, of any uniform solid cross-section along their whole length, which do not conform to the definition of flat-rolled products.
(p) Hollow drill bars and rods
Hollow bars and rods of any cross-section, suitable for drills, of which the greatest external dimension of the cross-section exceeds 15 mm but does not exceed 52 mm, and of which the greatest internal dimension does not exceed one half of the greatest external dimension. Hollow bars and rods of iron or steel not conforming to this definition are to be classified in heading 7304.
2. Ferrous metals clad with another ferrous metal are to be classified as products of the ferrous metal predominating by weight.
3. Iron or steel products obtained by electrolytic deposition, by pressure casting or by sintering are to be classified, according to their form, their composition and their appearance, in the headings of this chapter appropriate to similar hot-rolled products.
Products classified here
Questions and answers
What is the HS code for ferrous products obtained by direct reduction of iron ore and other spongy ferrous products, in lumps, pellets or similar forms; iron having a minimum purity by weight of 99,94 %, in lumps, pellets or similar forms?
Ferrous products obtained by direct reduction of iron ore and other spongy ferrous products, in lumps, pellets or similar forms; iron having a minimum purity by weight of 99,94 %, in lumps, pellets or similar forms fall under HS heading 7203, part of chapter 72, in section XV of the Harmonized System.
What is the import duty on ferrous products obtained by direct reduction of… in the UK?
Under the UK Global Tariff, imports under 7203 from countries without a preferential agreement are free of duty. Preferential rates, anti-dumping duties and VAT are not included.
What is the import duty on ferrous products obtained by direct reduction of… in the EU?
Under the EU Combined Nomenclature, imports under 7203 from countries without a preferential agreement are free of duty. Preferential rates, anti-dumping duties and VAT are not included.
Which country exports the most ferrous products obtained by direct reduction of…?
Russia, with US$875.5m in 2024 (18.1% of world exports).