India has imposed a definitive safeguard duty for a period of three years on imports of non-alloy and alloy steel flat products, after concluding that a sudden, sharp and significant surge in imports caused serious injury to the domestic industry, according to a notification published in the Gazette of India.
The safeguard duty will be levied at 12pct ad valorem from April 21, 2025, to April 20, 2026, followed by 11.5pct in the second year and 11pct in the third year, replacing the provisional safeguard duty that had been in force since April 21, 2025.
The products covered include hot-rolled coils, sheets and plates; plate mill plates; cold-rolled coils and sheets; metallic-coated steel products; and colour-coated coils and sheets, falling under tariff headings 7208, 7209, 7210, 7211, 7212, 7225 and 7226.
Under the notification, the safeguard duty will not apply where imports are made at or above the specified CIF trigger prices, as detailed below:
| Product category | CIF trigger price (USD/mt) |
| Hot-rolled coils and sheets | 675 |
| Plates | 695 |
| Cold-rolled coils and sheets | 824 |
| Coated steel products | 861 |
| Color-coated steel products | 964 |
According to the notification, the safeguard duty applies to imports from China, Vietnam and Nepal, as well as other supplying countries, as these origins did not qualify for developing-country exemptions under WTO safeguard provisions due to their import shares exceeding the prescribed thresholds.
The notification excludes a number of products from the scope of the measures, including stainless steel, tinplate, electrical steels (CRGO and CRNO), electro-galvanized steel and other specialty steel products.
The decision follows final findings issued by India’s Directorate General of Trade Remedies, which determined that the surge in imports posed a serious injury threat to domestic producers, justifying the imposition of safeguard measures through April 2028.
