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Raw materials

Import steel sheets and coils (flat-rolled)

7.5% basic duty plus an 11.5% safeguard duty until 20 Apr 2027. BIS licence and SIMS registration are compulsory.

Free, with conditionsHS 7208 / 7209 / 7210
Basic customs duty
7.5–15%
7.5% (tariff rate 15%)
Social welfare surcharge
10% of BCD
IGST
18%
18%
India’s imports, 2025-26
US$ 2.78 bn
from 35 countries

The 7.5% BCD is S. No. 214 of notification 45/2025-Customs (all of Chapter 72 except listed items); tinplate (7210 12) is 7.5% under S. No. 206. The safeguard duty is not charged on imports at or above set CIF prices (for example US$ 675 per tonne for hot-rolled coils, sheets and plates; US$ 824 for cold-rolled; US$ 861 for metallic-coated; US$ 964 for colour-coated) or on goods from listed developing countries other than those named for each product (China is named for all). Stainless steel, electrical steel, tinplate and some other products are outside its scope — read the notification. Safeguard duty 11.5% ad valorem for imports from 21 Apr 2026 to 20 Apr 2027 (11% from 21 Apr 2027 to 20 Apr 2028), notification 02/2025-Customs (SG). CBIC — Notification 02/2025-Customs (SG), safeguard duty on flat steel, 30 Dec 2025 ↗

What is imported

Fabricators, auto-part makers, appliance makers and pipe and tube makers import flat steel for grades or sizes not easily available in India. In FY 2025-26 imports were about US$ 1.73 billion of hot-rolled, US$ 0.13 billion of cold-rolled and US$ 0.92 billion of coated flat steel (TradeStat), mainly from Korea, Japan and China.

Import policy · Free, with conditions

Free under ITC(HS), subject to (1) prior registration on the DGFT Steel Import Monitoring System (SIMS) for each consignment and (2) the Ministry of Steel quality control orders, under which most flat products must carry the BIS Standard Mark from a BIS-licensed mill.

Anti-dumping and safeguard duty

  • Hot-rolled flat products of alloy or non-alloy steel from Vietnam (up to 25 mm thick and 2,100 mm wide): US$ 121.55 per tonne for five years, notification 32/2025-Customs (ADD), 12 Nov 2025; Hoa Phat Dung Quat is at nil. Under 40/2025-Customs (ADD), while the safeguard duty applies, the anti-dumping duty payable is reduced by the safeguard duty paid. Check DGTR for other country-specific cases on coated or cold-rolled steel.

Licences and registrations you need

  • BIS (Ministry of Steel QCOs)The foreign mill must hold a BIS licence (Foreign Manufacturers Certification Scheme) for the Indian Standard of your product, such as IS 2062, IS 513 or IS 277.bis.gov.in ↗
  • DGFT (SIMS)Register each import on the Steel Import Monitoring System before the goods arrive; the registration number goes on the bill of entry.dgft.gov.in ↗

What is checked at the port

  • BIS Standard Mark and licence number on the coils, matched with the BIS licence database.
  • SIMS registration number on the bill of entry.
  • Product category, thickness and CIF price per tonne, which decide whether safeguard or anti-dumping duty applies.
  • Mill test certificate against the declared grade.

Practical tips

  • Confirm the mill’s BIS licence covers your exact grade and size before you sign; a licence for one standard does not cover another.
  • Imports from Japan and Korea may get CEPA rates with a valid certificate of origin; work out the landed cost with and without safeguard duty.

Where new importers go wrong

  • Shipping from a mill without a BIS licence — the goods cannot be cleared and usually have to be re-exported.
  • Forgetting SIMS registration until the ship has arrived.
Sources (7)
  1. CBIC — Notification 02/2025-Customs (SG), safeguard duty on flat steel, 30 Dec 2025
  2. CBIC — Customs Tariff of India (as on 30.06.2025)
  3. DGTR — trade remedy investigations and findings
  4. Bureau of Indian Standards — product certification and QCOs
  5. DGFT — ITC(HS) import policy (Schedule 1)
  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 steel sheets and coils (flat-rolled)

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

Imports, 2025-26
US$ 2.78 bn
Change from 2024-25
-32.6%
Supplying countries
35
Biggest supplier
South Korea
53%
South Korea: US$ 1.46 bnChina: US$ 553 mnJapan: US$ 531 mnRussia: US$ 64.5 mnNepal: US$ 37.1 mnFrance: US$ 35.9 mnNetherlands: US$ 20.1 mnBelgium: US$ 19.1 mnHong Kong: US$ 14.2 mnGermany: US$ 14 mnUnited States of America: US$ 5.4 mnSweden: US$ 5.1 mnSingapore: US$ 5 mnUnited Arab Emirates: US$ 4 mnVietnam: US$ 2.8 mnSouth Korea: US$ 1.46 bnSouth KoreaChina: US$ 553 mnJapan: US$ 531 mnRussia: US$ 64.5 mnRussiaNepal: US$ 37.1 mnNepalFrance: US$ 35.9 mnFranceNetherlands: US$ 20.1 mnBelgium: US$ 19.1 mnHong Kong: US$ 14.2 mnHong KongGermany: US$ 14 mnUnited States of America: US$ 5.4 mnUnited States of AmericaSweden: US$ 5.1 mnSingapore: US$ 5 mnUnited Arab Emirates: US$ 4 mnVietnam: US$ 2.8 mnIndia
Where India imports steel sheets and coils (flat-rolled) from — among our 80 countries, 2025-26
2020-21: US$ 1.76 bn1.8k2020-212021-22: US$ 2.1 bn2.1k2021-222022-23: US$ 2.77 bn2.8k2022-232023-24: US$ 4.03 bn4.0k2023-242024-25: US$ 4.13 bn4.1k2024-252025-26: US$ 2.78 bn2.8k2025-26
India’s steel sheets and coils (flat-rolled) imports · US$ million

Biggest supplying countries

Name2025-26Change
1South KoreaUS$ 1.46 bn-12.1%
2ChinaUS$ 553 mn-31.1%
3JapanUS$ 531 mn-46.4%
4RussiaUS$ 64.5 mn+1,28,900%
5NepalUS$ 37.1 mn-58.3%
6FranceUS$ 35.9 mn-58.2%
7NetherlandsUS$ 20.1 mn-8.9%
8BelgiumUS$ 19.1 mn+29.3%
9Hong KongUS$ 14.2 mn-67%
10GermanyUS$ 14 mn-79.9%
11United States of AmericaUS$ 5.4 mn-31.3%
12SwedenUS$ 5.1 mn-31.2%

Which sources are growing and shrinking

Growing sources

  1. RussiaUS$ 50k → US$ 64.5 mn+1,28,900%

Shrinking sources

  1. VietnamUS$ 303 mn → US$ 2.8 mn-99.1%
  2. GermanyUS$ 69.6 mn → US$ 14 mn-79.9%
  3. Hong KongUS$ 43.1 mn → US$ 14.2 mn-67%
  4. NepalUS$ 89 mn → US$ 37.1 mn-58.3%
  5. FranceUS$ 85.8 mn → US$ 35.9 mn-58.2%
  6. JapanUS$ 991 mn → US$ 531 mn-46.4%

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
Strips of flat-rold prdcts in coils of a thckns>=3 but< 4.75mm ho...7208 38 40US$ 413 mn+5.6%6,18,882 tonnesUS$ 0.67 per kg
Plates of flat-rold prdcts not in coils ofthckns excd 10 mm hot-...7208 51 10US$ 381 mn-38.7%4,53,761 tonnesUS$ 0.84 per kg
Strips of flat-rold prdcts in coils of a thckns< 3 mm hot-rld,exc...7208 39 40US$ 340 mn-30.3%6,47,710 tonnesUS$ 0.53 per kg
Galvannealed prdcts of iron/non-alloy steel otherwise pltd/co...7210 49 10US$ 264 mn+10.5%2,84,248 tonnesUS$ 0.93 per kg
Prdcts paintd,vrnshd/coatd with plstcs7210 70 00US$ 230 mn-50.7%1,94,203 tonnesUS$ 1.18 per kg
Unvrsl plates of flat-rold prdcts not in coils of thckns excd 10 m...7208 51 20US$ 144 mn-16.2%1,87,887 tonnesUS$ 0.77 per kg
Other prdcts of iron/non-alloy steel otherwise pltd/cotd with zinc7210 49 90US$ 140 mn-38.6%1,79,264 tonnesUS$ 0.78 per kg
Other flat-rold prdcts in coils of a thckns< 10mm hot-rold,ex...7208 36 90US$ 126 mn+34.9%2,32,295 tonnesUS$ 0.54 per kg
Other flt rold prdcts of iron/non aloy stl eletrcly pltd/co...7210 30 99US$ 98.6 mn+3.7%96,516 tonnesUS$ 1.02 per kg
Other flat-rold prdcts in coils of a thckns< 3 mm hot-rld,exc...7208 39 90US$ 65.8 mn-70.2%1,30,024 tonnesUS$ 0.51 per kg
Flt-rld prdcts of iron/non aloy stl pltd or cotd with aluminium zin...7210 61 00US$ 62.6 mn-40.2%85,922 tonnesUS$ 0.73 per kg
Flt-rold prdcts of iron/non aloy stl pltd or cotd with other aloys o...7210 69 00US$ 57.2 mn+38.7%65,257 tonnesUS$ 0.88 per kg

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

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