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Electronics and solar

Import hard disks and storage devices

Hard disk drives enter duty-free; SSDs and pen drives carry 10% BCD; IGST is 18% on both.

Free to importHS 8471.70
Basic customs duty
0–10%
Free for drives of 8471 70; 10% for SSDs and flash storage (8523 51 00); Free for memory cards (8523 52 20)
Social welfare surcharge
Nil where BCD is nil; 10% of BCD otherwise
IGST
18%
18%
India’s imports, 2025-26
US$ 2.08 bn
from 49 countries

CBIC Customs Tariff: all storage units of 8471 70 (hard disk, removable disk, tape, optical drives) are Free; solid-state non-volatile storage devices (8523 51 00) are 10%; smart cards, SIM cards and memory cards (8523 52) are Free. An external SSD may be classified under 8471 70 or 8523 51 depending on its build — get the classification right before shipping. IGST is 18% (Schedule II, headings 8471 and 8523). CBIC — Customs Tariff of India (import tariff, chapter PDFs) ↗

What is imported

IT distributors, data-centre builders and system integrators import hard disks, SSDs, flash drives and storage arrays. Imports under 8471 70 and 8523 51 were about US$ 2,079 million in 2025-26, mainly from Singapore, China, Malaysia and Thailand (TradeStat).

Import policy · Free to import

Free under ITC(HS) Schedule 1. The import management system for laptops, tablets and computers covers other lines of 8471 — check DGFT if you import complete computers or servers with the drives.

Licences and registrations you need

  • 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 ↗
  • BIS (CRS)Check the CRS product list for your device type; external power adapters supplied with drives are covered.crsbis.in ↗

What is checked at the port

  • Classification between 8471 70 (Free) and 8523 51 (10%).
  • Capacity, model and serial numbers on the invoice and packing list.
  • Whether drives are new or refurbished; refurbished goods follow second-hand rules.

Practical tips

  • Buy from authorised distributors; grey-market drives often have no warranty in India.
  • For SSDs, compare the 10% duty with buying from an Indian distributor before importing small lots.

Where new importers go wrong

  • Importing used or wiped drives as new — Customs treats this as mis-declaration.
  • Fake-capacity flash drives from unknown online sellers.
Sources (6)
  1. CBIC — Customs Tariff of India (import tariff, chapter PDFs)
  2. CBIC — Notification 9/2025-Integrated Tax (Rate), in force 22.09.2025
  3. CPCB — EPR portal for e-waste
  4. BIS — Compulsory Registration Scheme (CRS) portal
  5. DGFT — ITC(HS) import policy (Schedule 1)
  6. Commerce Ministry TradeStat — commodity-wise imports by country (FY 2025-26)

Import data

Where India buys hard disks and storage devices

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

Imports, 2025-26
US$ 2.08 bn
Change from 2024-25
+31.8%
Supplying countries
49
Biggest supplier
Singapore
29%
Singapore: US$ 599 mnChina: US$ 329 mnMalaysia: US$ 220 mnThailand: US$ 218 mnHong Kong: US$ 157 mnUnited States of America: US$ 137 mnIreland: US$ 109 mnTaiwan: US$ 97.5 mnSouth Korea: US$ 53.5 mnVietnam: US$ 45.7 mnMexico: US$ 30.9 mnNetherlands: US$ 20.2 mnPhilippines: US$ 19.2 mnUnited Kingdom: US$ 9.4 mnJapan: US$ 7.6 mnSingapore: US$ 599 mnSingaporeChina: US$ 329 mnChinaMalaysia: US$ 220 mnThailand: US$ 218 mnThailandHong Kong: US$ 157 mnHong KongUnited States of America: US$ 137 mnUnited States of AmericaIreland: US$ 109 mnIrelandTaiwan: US$ 97.5 mnSouth Korea: US$ 53.5 mnVietnam: US$ 45.7 mnMexico: US$ 30.9 mnNetherlands: US$ 20.2 mnPhilippines: US$ 19.2 mnUnited Kingdom: US$ 9.4 mnJapan: US$ 7.6 mnIndia
Where India imports hard disks and storage devices from — among our 80 countries, 2025-26
2020-21: US$ 933 mn9332020-212021-22: US$ 1.27 bn1.3k2021-222022-23: US$ 1.8 bn1.8k2022-232023-24: US$ 1.38 bn1.4k2023-242024-25: US$ 1.58 bn1.6k2024-252025-26: US$ 2.08 bn2.1k2025-26
India’s hard disks and storage devices imports · US$ million

Biggest supplying countries

Name2025-26Change
1SingaporeUS$ 599 mn+56.2%
2ChinaUS$ 329 mn+36.9%
3MalaysiaUS$ 220 mn+65.6%
4ThailandUS$ 218 mn+33%
5Hong KongUS$ 157 mn+79.3%
6United States of AmericaUS$ 137 mn-38.8%
7IrelandUS$ 109 mn+41.5%
8TaiwanUS$ 97.5 mn+59.7%
9South KoreaUS$ 53.5 mn+11.6%
10VietnamUS$ 45.7 mn+179.5%
11MexicoUS$ 30.9 mn-22.1%
12NetherlandsUS$ 20.2 mn-16.4%

Which sources are growing and shrinking

Growing sources

  1. VietnamUS$ 16.3 mn → US$ 45.7 mn+179.5%
  2. Hong KongUS$ 87.5 mn → US$ 157 mn+79.3%
  3. MalaysiaUS$ 133 mn → US$ 220 mn+65.6%
  4. TaiwanUS$ 61 mn → US$ 97.5 mn+59.7%
  5. SingaporeUS$ 383 mn → US$ 599 mn+56.2%
  6. IrelandUS$ 76.8 mn → US$ 109 mn+41.5%

Shrinking sources

  1. United KingdomUS$ 42.7 mn → US$ 9.4 mn-78.1%
  2. United States of AmericaUS$ 225 mn → US$ 137 mn-38.8%
  3. MexicoUS$ 39.7 mn → US$ 30.9 mn-22.1%
  4. NetherlandsUS$ 24.1 mn → US$ 20.2 mn-16.4%

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
Solid-state non-volatile storage devices8523 51 00US$ 1.27 bn+80.2%51.3 mn piecesUS$ 24.69 per piece
Winchester/hard disc drives8471 70 20US$ 408 mn-3.5%3.9 mn piecesUS$ 103.77 per piece
Units of automatic data processing machines, storage units — others-of-storage units.8471 70 90US$ 375 mn-10.3%1.8 mn piecesUS$ 212.51 per piece
Units of automatic data processing machines, storage units — magnetic tape drives8471 70 40US$ 12.7 mn-17.9%5k piecesUS$ 2327.41 per piece
Removal/exchangeable disc drives8471 70 30US$ 8.9 mn-2.4%52k piecesUS$ 170.47 per piece
Units of automatic data processing machines, storage units — cartridge tape drive8471 70 50US$ 3.3 mn-33.3%6k piecesUS$ 566.56 per piece
Units of automatic data processing machines, storage units — digital video disc drive8471 70 70US$ 2.5 mn-26.8%156k piecesUS$ 16.27 per piece
Units of automatic data processing machines, storage units — cd-rom drive8471 70 60US$ 2.3 mn+123.8%4k piecesUS$ 611.80 per piece
Units of automatic data processing machines, storage units — floppy disc drives8471 70 10US$ 510k-1.9%3k piecesUS$ 196.38 per piece

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

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