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Raw materials

Import timber logs

5% basic duty. Plant quarantine permit and fumigation are the main hurdles. Australia, Malaysia and South America lead supply.

Free, with conditionsHS 4403
Basic customs duty
5%
5%
Social welfare surcharge
10% of BCD
IGST
Check on ICEGA
Check on ICEGATE
India’s imports, 2025-26
US$ 1.01 bn
from 64 countries

The tariff rate for heading 4403 is 5% (Customs Tariff as on 30.06.2025); notification 45/2025-Customs has no general lower rate. We could not confirm the current IGST rate for logs from an official schedule — check it on ICEGATE. CBIC — Customs Tariff of India (as on 30.06.2025) ↗

What is imported

Sawmills and furniture makers, especially around Kandla (Gandhidham), Tuticorin and Mumbai, import logs of pine, teak and hardwoods. Imports under 4403 were about US$ 1.01 billion in FY 2025-26 (TradeStat), led by Australia, Malaysia, Uruguay, Brazil, New Zealand and Ecuador.

Import policy · Free, with conditions

Free under ITC(HS), but logs can be imported only with a plant quarantine import permit and the treatment (usually methyl bromide fumigation) required by the Plant Quarantine Order, 2003. Species listed under CITES also need CITES papers.

Licences and registrations you need

  • Plant Quarantine (PPQS)Import permit where the Plant Quarantine Order, 2003 requires one, plus inspection and release at the port. Apply on PQMS before shipment.pqms.cgg.gov.in ↗
  • CITES (Wildlife Crime Control Bureau / regional CITES office)CITES export permit from the origin country and Indian clearance, only for listed species (for example some rosewoods).wccb.gov.in ↗

What is checked at the port

  • Plant quarantine checks the fumigation certificate, bark and live pests; untreated logs are treated at your cost or sent back.
  • Customs checks species, volume (cubic metres) and declared value.

Practical tips

  • Import through ports with plant quarantine stations and fumigation facilities for timber.
  • Agree measurement method (Hoppus or true volume) and a third-party measurement survey in the contract.

Where new importers go wrong

  • Fumigation certificate that does not match the dose and time required by Indian rules.
  • Wrong species name on the documents — it can trigger CITES or quarantine holds.
Sources (7)
  1. CBIC — Customs Tariff of India (as on 30.06.2025)
  2. CBIC — Notification 45/2025-Customs (effective duty rates), 24 Oct 2025, as amended
  3. Plant Quarantine Management System (PQMS)
  4. Directorate of Plant Protection, Quarantine & Storage
  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 timber logs

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

Imports, 2025-26
US$ 1.01 bn
Change from 2024-25
-3.2%
Supplying countries
64
Biggest supplier
Australia
18%
Australia: US$ 187 mnMalaysia: US$ 136 mnUnited States of America: US$ 54.4 mnSouth Africa: US$ 38.2 mnAustralia: US$ 187 mnAustraliaMalaysia: US$ 136 mnMalaysiaUnited States of America: US$ 54.4 mnUnited States of AmericaSouth Africa: US$ 38.2 mnSouth AfricaIndia
Where India imports timber logs from — among our 30 countries, 2025-26
2020-21: US$ 747 mn7472020-212021-22: US$ 979 mn9792021-222022-23: US$ 1.07 bn1.1k2022-232023-24: US$ 901 mn9012023-242024-25: US$ 1.05 bn1.0k2024-252025-26: US$ 1.01 bn1.0k2025-26
India’s timber logs imports · US$ million

Biggest supplying countries

Name2025-26Change
1AustraliaUS$ 187 mn+18.1%
2MalaysiaUS$ 136 mn+24.2%
3UruguayUS$ 119 mn+2.9%
4BrazilUS$ 75.1 mn-10.5%
5New ZealandUS$ 74.8 mn+0.5%
6EcuadorUS$ 73.8 mn-12.7%
7United States of AmericaUS$ 54.4 mn-0.3%
8ArgentinaUS$ 53.7 mn-23.4%
9South AfricaUS$ 38.2 mn+79.7%
10PanamaUS$ 32 mn-16.3%
11GhanaUS$ 25.8 mn-30.4%
12Papua N GnaUS$ 18.8 mn-13.6%

Which sources are growing and shrinking

Growing sources

  1. MexicoUS$ 3.6 mn → US$ 11 mn+200.8%
  2. South AfricaUS$ 21.2 mn → US$ 38.2 mn+79.7%
  3. BelgiumUS$ 7.7 mn → US$ 10.3 mn+33.6%
  4. MalaysiaUS$ 109 mn → US$ 136 mn+24.2%
  5. AustraliaUS$ 159 mn → US$ 187 mn+18.1%

Shrinking sources

  1. BeninUS$ 10.7 mn → US$ 2 mn-81.5%
  2. SingaporeUS$ 16.2 mn → US$ 6.8 mn-57.9%
  3. SurinameUS$ 28.4 mn → US$ 14.6 mn-48.5%
  4. Costa RicaUS$ 25.3 mn → US$ 14.1 mn-44.1%
  5. GhanaUS$ 37 mn → US$ 25.8 mn-30.4%
  6. ColombiaUS$ 10.4 mn → US$ 7.9 mn-24.5%

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
Wood, tropical, teak, in the rough, whether or not stripped of bark or sapwood, or roughly squared, untreated — teak4403 42 00US$ 266 mn-18.3%779k cbmUS$ 341.93
Others-of-of pine (pinus spp.), of which the smallest cross -sectio...4403 21 90US$ 240 mn+10.4%2.0 mn cbmUS$ 121.80
Wood, coniferous species, of pine, in the rough, whether or not stripped of bark or sapwood, or roughly… — saw logs and veneer logs4403 21 10US$ 147 mn+5.6%1.5 mn cbmUS$ 95.59
Others-of-other wood in rough4403 99 90US$ 96.2 mn-23%307k cbmUS$ 313.64
Dark red meranti, light red meranti and meranti bakau4403 41 00US$ 82.2 mn+30.9%379k cbmUS$ 216.91
Others-of-of pine (pinus spp.), other:4403 22 90US$ 78.9 mn-29.3%723k cbmUS$ 109.05
Of eucalyptus (eucalyptus spp.)4403 98 00US$ 53.4 mn+65.7%2.8 mn cbmUS$ 19.35
Sandal wood (santalum alburn)4403 99 22US$ 11.1 mn+96.6%8k cbmUS$ 1470.90
Of beech (fagus spp.), of which the smallest cross-sectional dimen...4403 93 00US$ 9.2 mn+86%33k cbmUS$ 281.54
Of poplar and aspen (populus spp.)4403 97 00US$ 8.2 mn+44%56k cbmUS$ 147.83
Wood, coniferous species, in the rough, whether or not stripped of bark or sapwood, or roughly squared… — coniferous4403 11 00US$ 5.7 mn+170.1%57k cbmUS$ 100.47
Wood, coniferous species, of pine, in the rough, whether or not stripped of bark or sapwood, or roughly… — saw logs and veneer logs4403 22 10US$ 3.8 mn+23.2%41k cbmUS$ 93.79

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

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