Cold heading quality

Hot-rolled free-cutting steel bars and rods in coils, cold-heading quality

BIS QCO APPLICABLE · ISI MARK SCHEME · SIMS OVERLAY

HSN 7213 20 20 (cold-heading-quality hot-rolled bars and rods in irregularly wound coils of free-cutting steel) is covered by a Bureau of Indian Standards Quality Control Order. Conformity to the Indian Standard mapped in Schedule 1 of the Steel and Steel Products Quality Control Order, 2024 is mandatory under the ISI Mark Scheme by virtue of S.O. 3716(E) dated 29 August 2024. 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

7213 20 20

Chapter

72 · Iron and steel

BIS QCO

Applicable · ISI Mark Scheme · CM/L required

Indian Standard

IS mapped in Schedule 1 of S.O. 3716(E) · 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 the Indian Standard mapped to this tariff item in Schedule 1 of the Steel and Steel Products Quality Control Order, 2024. 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
2
Ensure every consignment is accompanied by a test certificate bearing the standard mark, issued by the BIS-certified manufacturer. Each coil must bear the ISI standard mark under the supplier's CM/L licence; marking on packaging alone does not satisfy the requirement.
Steel and Steel Products Quality Control Order, 2024 · S.O. 3716(E) dated 29-08-2024
3
If the consignment is imported without BIS licence or certification, apply for and obtain a clarification on the TCQCO portal before shipment departs. Compliance with the Ministry of Steel circular dated 20-10-2023 and the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs clarification vide F.No. 401/88/2023-Cus.III dated 09-11-2023 is mandatory for every such consignment.
Ministry of Steel circular dated 20-10-2023 · CBIC clarification F.No. 401/88/2023-Cus.III dated 09-11-2023
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 remains valid for 75 days and must be current on the date of arrival at the Indian port.
Policy condition 5 of Chapter 72 · DGFT Notification 33/2015-20 dated 28-09-2020 · DGFT Notification 28/2023 dated 28-08-2023
5
Quote the supplier's BIS CM/L number and the SIMS registration number on the bill of entry. Strictly comply with CBIC Instruction 16/2025-CUS dated 18-06-2025 as modified by CBIC Instruction 23/2025-CUS dated 15-07-2025 regarding the Indian Standard of input steel material notified under the QCO and mandatorily registered on the SIMS portal.
CBIC Instruction 16/2025-CUS dated 18-06-2025 · CBIC Instruction 23/2025-CUS dated 15-07-2025

A word of counsel

The most frequent error on this tariff line is treating the SIMS registration as the primary compliance gate while overlooking the Steel and Steel Products QCO, 2024. The statutory exposure that results in consignment detention, re-export, or confiscation under Section 17 of the BIS Act, 2016 is import of sub-standard or uncertified material — a clean SIMS registration number does not cure an absent or scope-mismatched CM/L licence. Sub-standard steel that does not conform to the notified Indian Standard may only be disposed of as scrap; it cannot be re-imported, re-sold, or re-exported as a steel product.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 7213 20 20 require BIS certification?

Yes. Cold-heading-quality bars and rods of free-cutting steel in this tariff item must conform to the Indian Standard mapped in Schedule 1 of the Steel and Steel Products Quality Control Order, 2024 under the ISI Mark Scheme, with effect from 29 August 2024 per S.O. 3716(E).

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

Yes. SIMS registration is a separate customs-clearance overlay administered by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade; fee ₹500, validity 75 days, and the application may be made no earlier than 60 days before the expected date of arrival.

What happens to a consignment that does not conform to the notified Indian Standard?

Under the Steel and Steel Products Quality Control Order, 2024, sub-standard or defective steel must be disposed of as scrap in a manner that does not violate Section 17(1)(b) of the BIS Act, 2016; it cannot be released into commerce as a steel product.

Does one CM/L licence cover all cold-heading-quality free-cutting steel grades and facilities?

No. A CM/L licence is specific to the Indian Standard, the grade or specification range, and the licensed manufacturing facility; material from an unlicensed plant or outside the licensed specification scope is not covered.

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