Posted on 05 Jan 2026
India has imposed definitive safeguard duties on a wide range of flat steel imports for three years, confirming measures that were provisionally applied in 2025, Kallanish notes.
The decision follows final findings by the Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) in August 2025, which concluded that a sudden and sharp rise in imports caused and threatened serious injury to domestic producers.
The safeguard applies to non-alloy and alloy steel flat products classified under HS codes 7208, 7209, 7210, 7211, 7212, 7225 and 7226.
Covered products include hot rolled coil, sheet and plate; hot rolled plate mill plate; cold rolled coil and sheet; metallic coated steel (including galvanised, galvanneal and zinc-aluminium-magnesium coated products); and colour coated coil and sheet, whether or not profiled.
According to the finance ministry notification dated 30 December, the safeguard will be levied on a declining basis over three years, starting from the date the provisional duty was first imposed in April 2025.
The government clarifies that the definitive safeguard duty will not be levied for the gap period between the expiry of the provisional duty on 6-7 November 2025 and the preceding day from the publication of the final notification on 30 December 2025.
Imports priced at or above specified minimum cif thresholds will be exempt from the safeguard. Product-specific exemptions for developing countries also apply, alongside a list of excluded steel grades.
Excluded from the scope are several specialised products, including cold rolled grain-oriented (CRGO) and cold rolled non-oriented electrical steel (CRNO), stainless steel, tinplate, aluminium- or nickel-coated steel, clad plates, bi-metal steel, rubber-coated steel and other niche, high-value grades.
Industry reaction has been positive. One trader says the market sentiment is “very high” following the safeguard imposition, with prices expected to rise further in the near term.
Another industry veteran notes that steel prices are already higher across steel products, including long steel prices, as several integrated steel producers raised HRC prices by around INR 800/tonne ($8.9/t) on 21 December. A further INR 1,500-2,000/t increase is likely depending on the region, he notes. However, he cautions that domestic prices could reach import parity in the next few days, "although sustainability will depend on how demand shapes up after 15 January".
Source:Kallanish
