Sheets
Hot-rolled flat steel sheets, less than 3 mm thick, not in coils
HSN 7208 54 30 (hot-rolled flat steel sheets of less than 3 mm thickness, not in coils) is covered by a Bureau of Indian Standards Quality Control Order. Conformity to IS 1079 and IS 513 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.
Procedural directions for customs clearance are issued by: Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs, Directorate General of Foreign Trade.
- 1Source only from a Bureau of Indian Standards CM/L-licensed manufacturer holding a current licence against IS 1079 or IS 513, as applicable to the product specification. Verify the CM/L number, licensed product scope, 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
- 2Ensure every sheet bears the ISI mark and the supplier's CM/L number in accordance with Scheme-I of Schedule-II to the BIS (Conformity Assessment) Regulations, 2018. Each consignment must be accompanied by a test certificate bearing the standard mark issued by the BIS-certified manufacturer.Steel and Steel Products (Quality Control) Order, 2024 · S.O. 3716(E) dated 29-08-2024 · BIS (Conformity Assessment) Regulations, 2018
- 3Register the consignment on the Steel Import Monitoring System portal not earlier than 60 days before the expected date of arrival. Fee ₹500, registration valid for 75 days; the registration must remain within validity on the date of arrival at port.DGFT Notification 33/2015-20 dated 28-09-2020 · DGFT Notification 28/2023 dated 28-08-2023 · Policy Condition 5 of Chapter 72 of the ITC (HS) Import Policy
- 4If the consignment comprises seconds or defective HR sheets, note that import is subject to value restriction, port restriction, and production of a Pre-Shipment Inspection Certificate. Price restrictions on prime steel items apply as per the Madras High Court order dated 21-01-2004 in WP Nos. 38864 and 38865 of 2003.Policy Conditions 1, 2, and 3 of Chapter 72 of the ITC (HS) Import Policy
- 5For any consignment imported without BIS CM/L certification, apply on the TCQCO portal for clarification per the Ministry of Steel Circular dated 20-10-2023, and ensure compliance with the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs clarification vide F.No. 401/88/2023-CUS.III dated 09-11-2023. Absent BIS certification triggers mandatory portal-level scrutiny before customs clearance.Ministry of Steel Circular dated 20-10-2023 vide F.No. S-20011/14/2021-Tech · CBIC clarification F.No. 401/88/2023-CUS.III dated 09-11-2023
The most common error on this tariff line is assuming that S.O. 5134(E) dated 20-11-2025 — which defers enforcement for specified serial numbers in Schedule 1 of the Steel and Steel Products QCO 2024 — creates a blanket exemption for flat-rolled sheets. The deferral applies only to the serial numbers explicitly listed in S.O. 5134(E); importers must cross-reference the Schedule 1 serial number for IS 1079 and IS 513 against that list before concluding compliance is suspended. Importing sub-standard or defective material without BIS marking and disposing of it other than as scrap constitutes a violation of Section 17(1)(b) of the BIS Act, 2016 and exposes the importer to criminal liability.