Imports & ExportsStart exporting

Electronics and solar

Import printers and copiers

Computer printers enter duty-free, multifunction machines and copiers pay 7.5%, cartridges 10%; BIS CRS applies.

Free to importHS 8443
Basic customs duty
0–7.5%
Free for printers (8443 32 10–60); 7.5% for multifunction machines (8443 31) and copiers (8443 39); 10% for ink cartridges
Social welfare surcharge
Nil where BCD is nil; 10% of BCD otherwise
IGST
18%
18%
India’s imports, 2025-26
US$ 1.94 bn
from 77 countries

CBIC Customs Tariff: line, dot-matrix, laser and ink-jet printers that connect to a computer (8443 32 10 to 8443 32 60) are Free; 8443 32 90 “other” is 10%; machines doing two or more of printing, copying or fax (8443 31 00) and photocopiers (8443 39) are 7.5%; ink cartridges (8443 99 51, 52) are 10%; several copier parts are Free. IGST is 18% (Schedule II, heading 8443). CBIC — Customs Tariff of India (import tariff, chapter PDFs) ↗

What is imported

Office-equipment distributors, print shops and resellers import printers, multifunction devices, photocopiers and consumables. India imported about US$ 1,937 million under heading 8443 in 2025-26 (this includes industrial printing presses), mainly from China, Singapore, Japan and Thailand (TradeStat).

Import policy · Free to import

Free under ITC(HS) Schedule 1 for new machines. Second-hand copiers and printers fall under the conditions for second-hand goods — check before buying refurbished stock.

Licences and registrations you need

  • BIS (CRS)Printers and plotters are on the CRS list; each model needs BIS registration before import.crsbis.in ↗
  • CPCB (EPR — e-waste)Importers of electrical and electronic equipment listed in Schedule I of the E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2022 must register on the CPCB EPR portal before placing goods on the market.eprewastecpcb.in ↗
  • Legal Metrology (LMPC)If the goods reach buyers in retail packs, register as an importer of packaged commodities and print the declarations the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules require.consumeraffairs.nic.in ↗

What is checked at the port

  • Whether the machine is a single-function printer (Free) or a multifunction device (7.5%).
  • BIS Standard Mark and registration number on each unit.
  • Age and condition of refurbished machines.

Practical tips

  • Most branded printers are already BIS-registered; ask the brand for the registration and import only registered models.
  • Consumables (toner, cartridges) carry different rates — price them separately.

Where new importers go wrong

  • Declaring a multifunction machine as a plain printer to claim the Free rate.
  • Buying used copier lots abroad without checking the second-hand goods rules.
Sources (7)
  1. CBIC — Customs Tariff of India (import tariff, chapter PDFs)
  2. CBIC — Notification 9/2025-Integrated Tax (Rate), in force 22.09.2025
  3. BIS — Compulsory Registration Scheme (CRS) portal
  4. CPCB — EPR portal for e-waste
  5. Department of Consumer Affairs — Legal Metrology (packaged commodities)
  6. DGFT — ITC(HS) import policy (Schedule 1)
  7. Commerce Ministry TradeStat — commodity-wise imports by country (FY 2025-26)

Import data

Where India buys printers and copiers

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

Imports, 2025-26
US$ 1.94 bn
Change from 2024-25
+0.4%
Supplying countries
77
Biggest supplier
China
30%
China: US$ 584 mnSingapore: US$ 250 mnJapan: US$ 183 mnThailand: US$ 156 mnVietnam: US$ 144 mnGermany: US$ 84.5 mnPhilippines: US$ 73.8 mnIndonesia: US$ 53.6 mnItaly: US$ 51.1 mnHong Kong: US$ 48.2 mnNetherlands: US$ 44.1 mnUnited States of America: US$ 41.7 mnSouth Korea: US$ 40 mnUnited Kingdom: US$ 38.2 mnTaiwan: US$ 26.2 mnChina: US$ 584 mnChinaSingapore: US$ 250 mnSingaporeJapan: US$ 183 mnThailand: US$ 156 mnThailandVietnam: US$ 144 mnGermany: US$ 84.5 mnGermanyPhilippines: US$ 73.8 mnIndonesia: US$ 53.6 mnIndonesiaItaly: US$ 51.1 mnItalyHong Kong: US$ 48.2 mnNetherlands: US$ 44.1 mnUnited States of America: US$ 41.7 mnSouth Korea: US$ 40 mnUnited Kingdom: US$ 38.2 mnTaiwan: US$ 26.2 mnIndia
Where India imports printers and copiers from — among our 80 countries, 2025-26
2020-21: US$ 998 mn9982020-212021-22: US$ 1.31 bn1.3k2021-222022-23: US$ 1.64 bn1.6k2022-232023-24: US$ 1.73 bn1.7k2023-242024-25: US$ 1.93 bn1.9k2024-252025-26: US$ 1.94 bn1.9k2025-26
India’s printers and copiers imports · US$ million

Biggest supplying countries

Name2025-26Change
1ChinaUS$ 584 mn-7.7%
2SingaporeUS$ 250 mn+0.5%
3JapanUS$ 183 mn+8.3%
4ThailandUS$ 156 mn+10.9%
5VietnamUS$ 144 mn+0.7%
6GermanyUS$ 84.5 mn+30.9%
7PhilippinesUS$ 73.8 mn-5%
8IndonesiaUS$ 53.6 mn+8.4%
9ItalyUS$ 51.1 mn-1.2%
10Hong KongUS$ 48.2 mn-13.3%
11NetherlandsUS$ 44.1 mn-1.6%
12United States of AmericaUS$ 41.7 mn-8.9%

Which sources are growing and shrinking

Growing sources

  1. United KingdomUS$ 29.1 mn → US$ 38.2 mn+31.3%
  2. GermanyUS$ 64.5 mn → US$ 84.5 mn+30.9%
  3. ThailandUS$ 141 mn → US$ 156 mn+10.9%

Shrinking sources

  1. TaiwanUS$ 32.5 mn → US$ 26.2 mn-19.3%
  2. Hong KongUS$ 55.7 mn → US$ 48.2 mn-13.3%

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
Machines which perform two or more of the functions of printing, co...8443 31 00US$ 508 mn-5.2%3.0 mn piecesUS$ 168.92 per piece
Cartridges or toners, without print head assembly8443 99 52US$ 226 mn+83%19.8 mn piecesUS$ 11.43 per piece
Other parts and accessories of goods of sub-heading 844331, 8443328443 99 59US$ 204 mn-33.4%60.6 mn piecesUS$ 3.36 per piece
Other offset printing machinery8443 13 00US$ 153 mn-2.3%4.6 mn piecesUS$ 33.20 per piece
Printing, copying, and facsimile machines, single-function printing, copying or facsimile machines, capable… — ink jet printer8443 32 50US$ 121 mn-9.6%618k piecesUS$ 195.04 per piece
Parts of other prntng machinery and mchns for uses ancillary to printing8443 99 90US$ 94 mn+18.1%23.0 mn piecesUS$ 4.08 per piece
Printing, copying, and facsimile machines, single-function printing, copying or facsimile machines, not… — ink-jet printng machinery8443 39 10US$ 90.5 mn+7%13k piecesUS$ 7000.54 per piece
Others-of-other, capable of connecting to anautomatic data processi...8443 32 90US$ 87.3 mn+19.3%1.1 mn piecesUS$ 81.19 per piece
Others-of-other offset printing machinery8443 19 90US$ 82.4 mn+9.9%57k piecesUS$ 1451.12 per piece
Printing, copying, and facsimile machines, single-function printing, copying or facsimile machines, capable… — laser zet printer8443 32 40US$ 64.9 mn-17.2%539k piecesUS$ 120.53 per piece
Flexographic printing machinery8443 16 00US$ 60.5 mn+13.7%11k piecesUS$ 5540.79 per piece
Cartridges or toners, with print head assembly8443 99 51US$ 52.2 mn+30.7%5.4 mn piecesUS$ 9.68 per piece

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

More in electronics and solar

All import guides →