Strip

Hot-rolled flat steel strip exceeding 10 mm thickness

BIS QCO APPLICABLE · ISI MARK SCHEME · SIMS OVERLAY

HSN 7208 36 40 (hot-rolled flat steel strip exceeding 10 mm thick, width 600 mm or more) is covered by a Bureau of Indian Standards Quality Control Order. Conformity to IS 2062 and IS 1079 is mandatory under the ISI Mark Scheme by virtue of the Steel and Steel Products Quality Control Order 2024, notified vide S.O. 3716(E). Steel Import Monitoring System registration administered by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade applies as a separate customs-clearance overlay.

What this is

HSN code

7208 36 40

Chapter

72 · Iron and steel

BIS QCO

Applicable · ISI Mark Scheme · CM/L required

Indian Standard

IS 2062 / IS 1079 · effective 29-08-2024

Applicable Partner Government Agencies

BISBIS·Bureau of Indian Standards

SIMSSIMS·Steel Import Monitoring System

Procedural directions for customs clearance are issued by: Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs, Directorate General of Foreign Trade.

Compliance steps

1
Source only from a Bureau of Indian Standards CM/L-licensed manufacturer holding a current licence against IS 2062 or IS 1079 (as applicable to the grade). Verify the CM/L number, licensed product scope, thickness range, and manufacturing facility on the BIS online register before placing the purchase order.
Steel and Steel Products Quality Control Order 2024 · S.O. 3716(E) dated 29-08-2024 · Scheme-I of Schedule-II to the BIS (Conformity Assessment) Regulations, 2018
2
Ensure each consignment is accompanied by a test certificate bearing the ISI standard mark, issued by the BIS-certified manufacturer. The certificate must be consignment-specific and traceable to the licensed facility.
Steel and Steel Products Quality Control Order 2024 · S.O. 3716(E) dated 29-08-2024 · Schedule 1, column (3)
3
Ensure every strip bears the ISI standard mark under the supplier's CM/L licence per Scheme-I of Schedule-II to the BIS (Conformity Assessment) Regulations, 2018. Sub-standard or defective product that does not conform must be disposed of as scrap in compliance with Section 17(1)(b) of the BIS Act, 2016.
BIS (Conformity Assessment) Regulations, 2018 · Section 17 of the BIS Act, 2016 (11 of 2016)
4
Register the consignment on the Steel Import Monitoring System portal no earlier than 60 days before the expected date of arrival. Fee ₹500; the automatic registration number is valid for 75 days. Quote the SIMS registration number on the bill of entry alongside the supplier's BIS CM/L number.
DGFT Notification 33/2015-20 dated 28-09-2020 · DGFT Notification 28/2023 dated 28-08-2023 · Policy Condition 5 of Chapter 72
5
Apply on the TCQCO portal for each consignment imported without BIS licence or certification, as mandated by the Ministry of Steel circular dated 20-10-2023. Verify compliance with the CBIC clarification on that circular before filing the bill of entry.
Ministry of Steel circular F.No.S-20011/14/2021-Tech dated 20-10-2023 · CBIC clarification F.No.401/88/2023-Cus.III dated 09-11-2023

A word of counsel

The most consequential oversight on this tariff line is failing to check whether any of the serial numbers in Schedule 1 of S.O. 3716(E) applicable to this strip product fall within the deferred-enforcement list under S.O. 5134(E) dated 20-11-2025, which suspended enforcement at 42 specified serial numbers for three years from gazette publication. Importers who proceed without verifying whether IS 2062 or IS 1079 entries at the relevant serial numbers are operative — or who conflate deferral of Schedule 1 entries with a waiver of the QCO itself — face detention if those entries remain active, or wasted compliance spend if those entries are deferred.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 7208 36 40 require BIS certification?

Yes. Conformity to IS 2062 and IS 1079 is mandatory under the ISI Mark Scheme by virtue of the Steel and Steel Products Quality Control Order 2024, S.O. 3716(E); import is permitted only from manufacturers holding a current BIS CM/L licence covering the relevant grade and thickness range.

Is Steel Import Monitoring System registration required separately from BIS QCO compliance?

Yes. SIMS registration is administered by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade under Policy Condition 5 of Chapter 72 and is independent of the BIS obligation. Fee ₹500, validity 75 days, apply no earlier than 60 days before expected arrival; re-imports for packaging and SEZ movements without value addition are exempt from SIMS.

Does the enforcement deferral under S.O. 5134(E) affect this tariff line?

Possibly. S.O. 5134(E) dated 20-11-2025 suspended enforcement of specific IS entries at 42 serial numbers in Schedule 1 for three years from gazette publication; whether IS 2062 or IS 1079 at the relevant serial number for this strip product is among those deferred must be verified against the gazette before each shipment.

Does a single CM/L licence cover all grades and thickness ranges under IS 2062 and IS 1079?

No. A CM/L licence is scope-specific by grade, thickness range, and manufacturing facility; strip outside the licensed scope or from an unlicensed plant is not covered, and customs detains the consignment on a scope mismatch with the BIS register.

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