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Import plastic granules (polymers in primary forms)

Mostly 7.5% basic duty. BIS quality control orders on PE, PP and PVC were withdrawn in Nov 2025. Anti-dumping duty on bottle-grade PET from China.

Free to importHS 3901–3904 / 3907
Basic customs duty
5–7.5%
7.5% (PE, PP, PS, PVC and most of 3907); 5% polyester chips
Social welfare surcharge
10% of BCD
IGST
18%
18%
India’s imports, 2025-26
US$ 11.6 bn
from 111 countries

The tariff rate for 3901, 3902, 3903 and 3907 is 7.5% (Customs Tariff as on 30.06.2025). PVC (3904) was 10% with an effective 7.5%; the Finance Bill 2026 made 7.5% the tariff rate from 1 May 2026. Polyester chips are 5% under S. No. 149 of notification 45/2025-Customs. Check the effective rate for your 8-digit code on ICEGATE. CBIC — Notification 45/2025-Customs (effective duty rates), 24 Oct 2025, as amended ↗

What is imported

Moulders, film makers and pipe makers import polymer granules when Indian supply is short or priced higher. In FY 2025-26 imports were about US$ 3.5 billion of polyethylene, US$ 2.1 billion of polypropylene, US$ 2.7 billion of PVC and US$ 2.7 billion of polyesters (TradeStat). Polyethylene and polypropylene come mainly from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Singapore and Korea; PVC and PET mainly from China.

Import policy · Free to import

Free under ITC(HS). The BIS quality control orders on polyethylene, polypropylene and PVC homopolymers were revoked on 12 Nov 2025; check the BIS list in case any polymer order still applies to your grade.

Anti-dumping and safeguard duty

  • Bottle-grade PET resin (intrinsic viscosity 0.72 dl/g or higher; 3907 61 and 3907 69) from China: US$ 200.66 per tonne for five years, notification 12/2026-Customs (ADD), 19 Jun 2026; recycled PET is excluded. Calcium carbonate filler masterbatch from Vietnam is also under anti-dumping duty (37/2025-Customs (ADD)). Older ADD on other polymers may still be in force — check the DGTR and CBIC ADD lists for your grade and origin.

Licences and registrations you need

  • BISCheck whether any quality control order still covers your polymer grade; the PE, PP and PVC orders were revoked in Nov 2025.bis.gov.in ↗
  • CPCB (EPR for plastic packaging)If you make or import plastic packaging, register on the CPCB EPR portal under the Plastic Waste Management Rules.eprplastic.cpcb.gov.in ↗

What is checked at the port

  • Classification: homopolymer versus copolymer and the density band for polyethylene decide the 8-digit code.
  • Country of origin and producer name, which decide any anti-dumping duty.
  • Prime versus off-grade or recycled material; off-grade declared as prime (or the reverse) is a common valuation issue.

Practical tips

  • Ask for the producer’s certificate of analysis and the grade data sheet with every lot.
  • Imports from ASEAN, UAE or Korea may get FTA rates with a valid certificate of origin — compare landed cost.

Where new importers go wrong

  • Buying from a trader in a third country without checking the producer and true origin; ADD follows origin.
  • Relying on old QCO advice — the rules changed in Nov 2025.
Sources (7)
  1. CBIC — Notification 45/2025-Customs (effective duty rates), 24 Oct 2025, as amended
  2. Finance Bill 2026 — Fifth Schedule (tariff rates from 1 May 2026)
  3. CBIC — Customs Tariff of India (as on 30.06.2025)
  4. DGTR — trade remedy investigations and findings
  5. Bureau of Indian Standards — product certification and QCOs
  6. Commerce Ministry TradeStat — commodity-wise imports by country (FY 2025-26)
  7. ICEGATE — Customs duty and tariff look-up

Import data

Where India buys plastic granules (polymers in primary forms)

India’s imports from the Department of Commerce’s TradeStat, country by country. US$, financial years.

Imports, 2025-26
US$ 11.6 bn
Change from 2024-25
-3.7%
Supplying countries
111
Biggest supplier
China
20%
China: US$ 2.3 bnSouth Korea: US$ 1.29 bnUnited Arab Emirates: US$ 1.15 bnSingapore: US$ 1.1 bnSaudi Arabia: US$ 1.05 bnJapan: US$ 654 mnUnited States of America: US$ 647 mnMalaysia: US$ 336 mnQatar: US$ 208 mnOman: US$ 195 mnVietnam: US$ 154 mnNetherlands: US$ 126 mnChina: US$ 2.3 bnChinaSouth Korea: US$ 1.29 bnUnited Arab Emirates: US$ 1.15 bnUnited Arab EmiratesSingapore: US$ 1.1 bnSingaporeSaudi Arabia: US$ 1.05 bnJapan: US$ 654 mnUnited States of America: US$ 647 mnUnited States of AmericaMalaysia: US$ 336 mnQatar: US$ 208 mnOman: US$ 195 mnVietnam: US$ 154 mnVietnamNetherlands: US$ 126 mnNetherlandsIndia
Where India imports plastic granules (polymers in primary forms) from — among our 30 countries, 2025-26
2020-21: US$ 7.11 bn7.1k2020-212021-22: US$ 11.1 bn11k2021-222022-23: US$ 13.4 bn13k2022-232023-24: US$ 12.5 bn13k2023-242024-25: US$ 12.1 bn12k2024-252025-26: US$ 11.6 bn12k2025-26
India’s plastic granules (polymers in primary forms) imports · US$ million

Biggest supplying countries

Name2025-26Change
1ChinaUS$ 2.3 bn+5%
2South KoreaUS$ 1.29 bn-11.6%
3United Arab EmiratesUS$ 1.15 bn-10.2%
4SingaporeUS$ 1.1 bn-3.5%
5Saudi ArabiaUS$ 1.05 bn+8.9%
6ThailandUS$ 1.04 bn+1.1%
7JapanUS$ 654 mn+0.5%
8United States of AmericaUS$ 647 mn-11.4%
9TaiwanUS$ 402 mn-32.8%
10MalaysiaUS$ 336 mn+18%
11QatarUS$ 208 mn-6%
12OmanUS$ 195 mn-10%

Which sources are growing and shrinking

Growing sources

  1. MalaysiaUS$ 284 mn → US$ 336 mn+18%
  2. VietnamUS$ 136 mn → US$ 154 mn+13.2%

Shrinking sources

  1. TaiwanUS$ 598 mn → US$ 402 mn-32.8%
  2. BelgiumUS$ 246 mn → US$ 172 mn-30.2%
  3. GermanyUS$ 124 mn → US$ 98.4 mn-20.5%
  4. South KoreaUS$ 1.46 bn → US$ 1.29 bn-11.6%
  5. United States of AmericaUS$ 730 mn → US$ 647 mn-11.4%
  6. United Arab EmiratesUS$ 1.28 bn → US$ 1.15 bn-10.2%

Which forms come in, and at what price

Imports by 8-digit tariff line, 2025-26. Average price = total value ÷ total quantity.

Tariff lineValue 2025-26ChangeQuantityAverage price
Suspension grade pvc resin3904 10 20US$ 1.63 bn-23.2%2.38 mn tonnesUS$ 0.69 per kg
Propylene, other olefin polymers, polypropylene in primary forms — polypropylene3902 10 00US$ 1.37 bn+19.1%1.42 mn tonnesUS$ 0.97 per kg
Polyethylene hvng a spcfc grvty 0.94 /more3901 20 00US$ 939 mn-18.5%1.00 mn tonnesUS$ 0.94 per kg
Propylene, other olefin polymers, propylene copolymers in primary forms — propylene copolymers3902 30 00US$ 613 mn+6.4%5,25,486 tonnesUS$ 1.17 per kg
Polycarbonates, in primary forms — polycarbonates3907 40 00US$ 611 mn-6.8%3,34,442 tonnesUS$ 1.83 per kg
Others-of-others-of-polyacetals, other polyethers and epoxide resins,3907 29 90US$ 600 mn+23.5%4,12,535 tonnesUS$ 1.45 per kg
Others-of-ethylene-alpha-olefin copolymers, having a specific gravi...3901 40 90US$ 503 mn-1.2%4,08,289 tonnesUS$ 1.23 per kg
Ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymers3901 30 00US$ 445 mn+4.2%3,28,691 tonnesUS$ 1.35 per kg
Other ply (vinyl choride), not mixed with any other substances3904 10 90US$ 442 mn-4.5%6,53,660 tonnesUS$ 0.68 per kg
Other polyethylene hvng a spfc grvty < 0.943901 10 90US$ 417 mn-0.3%3,26,567 tonnesUS$ 1.28 per kg
Low density polyethylene (ldpe)3901 10 20US$ 390 mn-2.5%3,47,441 tonnesUS$ 1.12 per kg
Linear low density polyethylene (lldpe)3901 40 10US$ 358 mn+38.9%3,46,963 tonnesUS$ 1.03 per kg

Source: TradeStat — Export Import Data Bank, Department of Commerce · Figures taken 29 October 2026.

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