New Delhi: The Finance Ministry has imposed an 11-12% tariff on select steel products from select countries, including China, Vietnam and Nepal, as cheaper steel imports were impacting the market share of domestic players.
The “recent, sudden, sharp, and significant increase in imports of subject goods into India has caused and threatens to cause serious injury to the domestic industry/producers of subject goods”, the order released by the government said.
The move comes after Indian steel players, represented by the Indian Stainless Steel Development Association (ISSDA) filed a petition with the Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) in August 2025 protesting against these cheap imports.
As per the notification issued on December 30, 2025, the tariff will be set at 12% for the first year, reduced to 11.5% for the next year and further reduced to 11% in the third year, as the government aims to protect the domestic steel industry from dumping practices by China.
This is the second time the government has been forced to impose a tariff. In April this year, the government imposed a 12% duty on steel products for 200 days.
The tariff will not cover specialised steel products, including stainless steel.
The move comes at a time when cheap steel imports remain a cause of concern worldwide, with the US, South Korea and Vietnam imposing anti-dumping levies on Chinese steel products.
