Coating (including suiting)

Cotton twill coating and suiting fabrics, woven

DGFT CLEARANCE

HSN 5208 33 20 (Coating including suiting) is subject to the ITC (HS) import policy administered by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), which mandates a Pre-Shipment Inspection Certificate (PSIC) for all textile and textile article imports under General Note 10. The PSIC, issued by an accredited laboratory of the exporting country or a valid test report from the Textile Committee or CSRTI, certifies the absence of prohibited hazardous azo dyes.

What this is

HSN code

5208 33 20

Chapter

52 · Cotton

Primary regulator

DGFT · ITC (HS) import policy, General Note 10 (hazardous dye PSIC requirement)

Customs documentation

Pre-Shipment Inspection Certificate from accredited lab
Test report from Textile Committee or CSRTI
ITC (HS) policy declaration from DGFT

Compliance steps

1
Obtain a Pre-Shipment Inspection Certificate from an accredited laboratory of the exporting country, or a valid test report from the Textile Committee (TC) or Central Sheep and Wool Research Institute (CSRTI), certifying the absence of prohibited hazardous azo dyes before the consignment is dispatched.
General Note 10 of the ITC (HS) Import Policy · DGFT Public Notice 14/2023 dated 14-06-2023
2
Verify the country of origin before filing the bill of entry: azo-dye testing is exempted only for imports from the EU, Serbia, Poland, Denmark, Australia, Canada, Japan, South Korea, and the United Kingdom. Consignments from all other origins must carry the PSIC; absence of the certificate at the bill-of-entry stage exposes the consignment to detention and re-export.
General Note 10 of the ITC (HS) Import Policy · DGFT Public Notice 14/2023 dated 14-06-2023

A word of counsel

The most common error on this tariff line is assuming that the country-of-origin azo-dye exemption extends to goods merely transshipped through an exempt country; the exemption applies to the country of manufacture, not the country of last export. A consignment of cotton twill fabric manufactured in a non-exempt origin but shipped via an EU port remains subject to the PSIC requirement, and customs out-of-charge will be withheld until the test report is produced.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 5208 33 20 require BIS certification?

No, woven cotton twill coating and suiting fabrics are not covered by any BIS Quality Control Order. Import is governed by the ITC (HS) policy administered by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade, principally through the General Note 10 Pre-Shipment Inspection Certificate requirement for hazardous azo-dye absence.

Which countries are exempt from the azo-dye PSIC requirement for this tariff line?

Exemption applies only to imports from the EU, Serbia, Poland, Denmark, Australia, Canada, Japan, South Korea, and the United Kingdom, per DGFT Public Notice 14/2023 dated 14-06-2023; all other origins must furnish a PSIC or valid TC/CSRTI test report.

Is a test report from the Textile Committee an acceptable substitute for a laboratory PSIC?

Yes. General Note 10 of the ITC (HS) Import Policy accepts either a PSIC from an accredited laboratory of the exporting country or a valid test report from the Textile Committee or CSRTI as equivalent documentation for certifying azo-dye absence.

Last verified against gazette notifications: 2026-05-16. Source: DGFT / Indian Customs CUSDATA.