Buy Canadian: what counts as Canadian, and what melted and poured means
Steel counts under Buy Canadian only if melted and poured in Canada. The $25 million and $5 million thresholds, the 10% and 25% levers, and what to keep.
The short answer
Under the federal Buy Canadian Policy, in force since 16 December 2025, steel counts as Canadian only if it was melted and poured in Canada, and aluminum only if it was smelted and cast here; cutting or machining it in Canada doesn’t change that. The materials rule applies to defence goods and construction procurements of $25 million or more that use at least $250,000 of the material. A separate policy gives eligible Canadian suppliers a 10% evaluation price reduction and puts 25% of the score on Canadian value added, for strategic procurements of $5 million or more since 15 June 2026.
