Egypt cancelled its safeguard import duties on iron billets and steel rebar. Effective June 16, the 13.12% duty on billets and the corresponding duty on rebar are gone. For every buyer sourcing semi‑finished and long steel into North Africa’s largest construction market, the landed‑cost equation just improved by $15–25 per tonne. Chinese billet at $465–468/t FOB now enters Egypt duty‑free, competing directly with domestic Ezz Steel rebar at EGP 40,330–40,602 per tonne. The same applies to rebar exports, where Chinese FOB at $590–595/t suddenly looks far more attractive against Egyptian domestic prices that remain elevated above $720/t. This report shows you exactly how to calculate the new all‑in CFR Alexandria for billet and rebar, and which suppliers are best positioned to capture the opportunity.

South Africa imposed a 52.34% anti‑dumping duty on corrosion‑resistant steel coil from China, following an application by ArcelorMittal South Africa. China accounts for over 90% of imports of this material, used primarily in roofing. The duty starts at 52.34% in Year 1, stepping down to 37.34% and 22.34% over three years. Combined with the existing 74.98% AD duty on structural steel and the 10–30% general tariff hike imposed on May 15, the SACU market is now effectively closed to Chinese construction‑grade flat and long steel. The report details the exact tariff codes affected, which products can still enter via the ITAC rebate pathway, and which alternative origins — India, Turkey, South Korea — offer viable substitute supply.

China’s HRC export price broke below $500/t for the first time since mid‑May. At $495/t FOB, Chinese hot‑rolled coil is now $160/t below Japan and $112/t below Korea. Billet fell $8/t to $465–468/t FOB. The Dragon Boat Festival lull, the EU safeguard deadline rush, and the first tangible offers of returning Iranian supply combined to produce the steepest single‑week FOB decline in over a month. The report traces each of these drivers, quantifies the week‑on‑week move, and provides a next‑week price forecast with specific supporting arguments and counter‑risks.

Logistics risks on both African coasts are escalating. Mombasa’s average vessel waiting time rose to 5.73 days, its fourth consecutive weekly increase. Conakry reached a critical 16.2 days. Tema and Abidjan remain above five days. The COSATU protests on June 19 disrupted South African port operations. These bottlenecks are adding risk premiums to CFR quotes and extending delivery lead times. The report provides a full port‑by‑port status table, identifies alternative gateways, and offers specific routing recommendations for East, West, and Southern African buyers.

Nigeria’s green‑tax countdown has entered its final week. Only seven days remain before the July 1 excise and green tax regime takes effect. The naira is stable, external reserves are at a 17‑year high of $50.51 billion, and CFR Lagos prices have softened modestly in line with the FOB decline. This is the last call for pre‑tax procurement. The report provides a detailed checklist: open Form M immediately, verify SONCAP PC certificates, and build post‑July 1 buffer inventory.

Iran’s export ban is confirmed lifted, and the first Iranian billet and HRC offers are reaching African buyers. Approximately 13–15 million tonnes per year of semi‑finished and flat steel capacity is returning to global markets, with East and North Africa as the primary targets. The report analyses how quickly these volumes will materialise, which ports they will target, and how Chinese and Turkish suppliers can differentiate to defend market share.

Every section of this report includes week‑on‑week comparison data against the prior period (June 10–17), so you can see exactly how prices, policies, currencies, freight costs, and port conditions moved in seven days. CFR estimates for all ten African countries are fully calculated, incorporating the latest duty changes — Egypt’s safeguard cancellation, South Africa’s new AD duty, and Morocco’s reduced 19% HRC safeguard.

For procurement managers, this report answers whether to execute the final Nigerian pre‑tax sprint, how to capitalise on Egypt’s duty‑free billet and rebar window, and which products to source from India or Turkey to avoid South Africa’s escalating tariff wall. For export sales managers, it shows how to defend African market share against returning Iranian supply, which markets to prioritise in the post‑green‑tax period, and how to use logistics expertise as a competitive differentiator when East African ports are stretched to their limits.

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