India imposes a temporary 12% safeguard duty on certain steel imports

India has imposed a temporary 12% safeguard duty on certain steel imports to combat cheap imports, mainly from China. This was reported by The Times of India.

According to the official order of the country’s Ministry of Finance, the duty will be in effect for 200 days (from April 21, 2025), unless it is canceled, replaced or changed earlier.

India’s Minister of Steel and Heavy Industries H.D. Kumaraswamy said that these measures are aimed at protecting the country’s steel producers from the negative impact of a sharp increase in imports and will ensure fair competition in the market.

The duty covers products under HS codes 7208, 7209, 7210, 7211, 7212, 7225 and 7226. According to the recommendations of the Directorate General for Trade Remedies (DGTR), the duty is only applied if the import price is below a certain threshold, which is different for each product. For example, for hot rolled coils (HRC), the safeguard duty will not apply if the product is imported at $675/ton CIF or higher.

In March 2025, the DGTR recommended a 12% tariff on certain steel products for 200 days as part of efforts to stop cheap imports.

Earlier, in December 2024, the agency launched an investigation into a sudden surge in imports of unalloyed and alloyed flat products used in various industries. The investigation followed a complaint from the Indian Steel Association on behalf of its members, including ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India, JSW Steel and others.

According to preliminary government data, India again became a net importer of rolled steel in the 2024/2025 financial year (ended March 2025). At the same time, the volume of imports reached a nine-year high of 9.5 million tons (+14.8% year-on-year). At the same time, exports of rolled products from the country fell by 35.1% y/y – to 4.86 million tons in the period under review.

Last December, India announced temporary restrictions on imports of low-ash metallurgical coke. According to the government decree, they will be in effect for six months, starting from January 1, 2025.