CBIC Issues Lists and Products on Steel Safeguard Duty

Ψ  12% Safeguard Duty Imposed on HR and CR and Alloy Steel Flats (Five Categories) for Two Years

·         The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs issued Circular No. 23/2026-Customs dated 7 May 2026 regarding implementation of safeguard duty exemptions for imports of “Non-Alloy and Alloy Steel Flat Products.”

·         The circular relates to Notification No. 02/2025-Customs (SG) dated 30 December 2025, under which safeguard duty was imposed on specified steel flat products.

·         To ensure exempted imports are not charged safeguard duty, CBIC has introduced system-based qualifiers in the Single Window Table of the Bill of Entry.

·         Importers seeking exemption must declare relevant exemption details using specified INFO Codes in the Bill of Entry.

·         Exemptions are available based on:

o    CIF import price thresholds,

o    Country of origin, and

o    Specified excluded product categories.

·         Table A of the circular prescribes CIF-based exemption thresholds for major steel categories:

o    Hot Rolled Coils, Sheets and Plates — USD 675/MT,

o    Hot Rolled Plate Mill Plates — USD 695/MT,

o    Cold Rolled Coils and Sheets — USD 824/MT,

o    Metallic Coated Steel Coils and Sheets — USD 861/MT,

o    Colour Coated Coils and Sheets — USD 964/MT.

·         Table B specifies exemptions for imports from developing countries listed under Notification No. 19/2016-Customs (N.T.), with exclusions for countries such as China PR, Vietnam and Nepal depending on product category.

·         Table C lists products excluded from safeguard duty scope, including:

o    CRGO and CRNO electrical steel,

o    Stainless steel products,

o    Tinplate,

o    Electro-galvanized steel,

o    Nickel-plated steel,

o    Aluminium-coated steel,

o    Titanium clad plates, among others.

·         DG (Systems) will issue an advisory for electronic filing implementation, while field formations have been directed to educate officers and trade stakeholders for uniform compliance.

 

[CBIC Circular No. 23/2026-Customs dated 7 May, 2026]

Subject: Implementation of Safeguard Duty on import of "Non-Alloy and Alloy Steel Flat Products" under Notification No. 02/2025-Customs (SG) dated 30.12.2025.

Attention is invited to Notification No. 02/2025-Customs (SG) dated 30.12.2025 whereby safeguard duty has been imposed on import of certain "Non-Alloy and Alloy Steel Flat Products". The said notification also provides explicit exemption provisions based on CIF value thresholds, country of origin and specified product categories.

2. In order to ensure that safeguard duty is not levied on the exempted categories and to facilitate smooth clearance of eligible imports, suitable system-based qualifiers, as per Annexure, have been created in the Single Window Table of the Bill of Entry for claiming exemption under the said notification. Accordingly, importers intending to avail exemption from safeguard duty under Notification No. 02/2025-Customs (SG) shall declare the details as specified in the Annexure, in the Single Window Table of the Bill of Entry.

3. DG (Systems) shall issue a suitable advisory regarding system implementation to enable electronic filing of the above declarations. Field formations are requested to sensitize officers and trade regarding the said facility to ensure uniform implementation .

4. Difficulties, if any, in the implementation of this Circular may be brought to the notice of the Board.

F.No . 524/13/2026-STO(TU)

ANNEXURE

info_type : CHR

info_qfr : SGD

info_text : “We declare that imported items are exempted from safeguard duty under info code ________”

info_cd :  as per last column of each table, given below:

Table A:

Info Codes for the product categories as specified in the corresponding entry in column (2) of the Table below, when imported into India, at or above the import price on CIF basis as mentioned in the corresponding entry in column (3), in the currency as specified in the corresponding entry in column (5) and as per unit of measurement as specified in the corresponding entry in column (4), are specified in the corresponding entry in column (6) of the Table below :-

Sl.No.

Product Category

Import price on CIF basis

Unit

Currency

INFO_CD

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

(6)

1.

Hot Rolled Coils, Sheets and Plates

675

MT

USD

IPCIF01

2.

Hot Rolled Plate Mill Plates

695

MT

USD

IPCIF02

3.

Cold Rolled Coils and Sheets

824

MT

USD

IPCIF03

4.

Metallic Coated Steel Coils and Sheets, whether or not profiled, including Galvanneal, Coated with Zinc or Aluminium-Zinc or Zinc- Aluminium-Magnesium

861

MT

USD

IPCIF04

5.

Colour Coated coils and sheets, whether or not profiled

964

MT

USD

IPCIF05

Table B:

Info Codes for the product categories specified in para 3 of Notification No. 02/2025- Customs (SG) dated 30.12.2025, are as below :-

(i)     Hot Rolled Coils, Sheets and Plates imported from developing countries listed in Notification No.19/2016-Customs (N.T.), other than China PR and Vietnam;

         INFO_CD: DC001

(ii)     Hot Rolled Plate Mill Plates imported from developing countries listed in Notification No. 19/2016-Customs (N.T.), other than China PR;

         INFO_CD: DC002

(iii)    Cold Rolled Coils and Sheets imported from developing countries listed in Notification No. 19/2016-Customs (N.T.), other than China PR and Nepal;

         INFO_CD: DC003

(iv)   Metallic Coated Steel Coils and Sheets, whether or not profiled, including Galvanneal, Coated with Zinc or Aluminium-Zinc or Zinc-Aluminium-Magnesium imported from developing countries listed in Notification No. 19/2016-Customs (N.T.), other than Vietnam, China PR and Nepal; and

         INFO_CD: DC004

(v)    Colour Coated coils and sheets, whether or not profiled imported from developing countries listed in Notification No. 19/2016-Customs (N.T.), other than China PR and Nepal.

         INFO_CD: DC005

Table C:

Info Codes for the products specified in Explanation given in Notification No. 02/2025-Customs (SG) dated 30.12.2025, excluded from the scope of subject goods specified in the said notification, are as below :-

a)    Cold Rolled Grain Oriented Electrical Steel (CRGO); INFO_CD: EP01

b)    Cold Rolled Non-Oriented Electrical Steel (CRNO) coils and sheets; INFO_CD: EP02

c)    Coated - Electro Galvanized Steel; INFO_CD: EP03

d)    Tinplate; INFO_CD: EP04

e)    Stainless steel; INFO_CD: EP05

f)     Nickel Coated / Nickel Plated Cold Rolled Steel; INFO_CD: EP06

g)    Rubber Coated Steel; INFO_CD: EP07

h)    Electro Galvanised (EG) – Zinc Nickel Coated Steel; INFO_CD: EP08

i)      Bi-Metal Steel / Bi-Metal Sandwich Steel; INFO_CD: EP09

j)      Brass Coated Steel Wire; INFO_CD: EP10

k)    CRUTONITE; INFO_CD: EP11

l)      INCONEL; INFO_CD: EP12

m)   Stainless Steel Items; INFO_CD: EP13

n)    Aluminium Coated Steel; INFO_CD: EP14

o)    Aluminium Silicon Coated / Hot Dipped Aluminised Silicon Coated Steel;

p)    INFO_CD: EP15

q)    Hot Rolled Clad Steel Plate; INFO_CD: EP16

r)     Nickel Plated Steel / Nickel Plated Strip; INFO_CD: EP17

s)    Copper Plated Steel; INFO_CD: EP18

t)     Laminated Electro Galvanized (EGI); INFO_CD: EP19

u)    Cobalt Plated Steel; INFO_CD: EP20

v)    Silver Plated Steel; INFO_CD: EP21

w)   Titanium Clad Plates; INFO_CD: EP22