Not exceeding 14 mm
Stainless steel flat-rolled plate and sheet, thickness 10–14 mm
HSN 7219 21 31 (stainless steel flat-rolled products, width ≥600 mm, thickness exceeding 10 mm and not exceeding 14 mm) is covered by a Bureau of Indian Standards Quality Control Order. Conformity to IS 6911, IS 5522, or IS 15997 — as applicable to the grade — is mandatory under the ISI Mark Scheme with effect from 29 August 2024, by virtue of the Steel and Steel Products Quality Control Order, 2024 vide S.O. 3716(E). Steel Import Monitoring System (SIMS) 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 6911 (general industrial stainless plate/sheet/strip), IS 5522 (utensil-grade stainless sheet/strip), or IS 15997 (low-nickel austenitic stainless flat products), as appropriate to the material grade. Verify the supplier's CM/L number, licensed grade and 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 · BIS (Conformity Assessment) Regulations, 2018, Scheme-I of Schedule-II
- 2Confirm that each consignment is accompanied by a test certificate bearing the ISI standard mark, issued by the BIS-certified manufacturer, covering the specific grade, heat, and dimensional tolerance of the consignment. The standard mark must also appear on the product itself per Scheme-I of Schedule-II to the BIS (Conformity Assessment) Regulations, 2018.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; fee ₹500, apply no earlier than 60 days before the expected date of arrival, registration valid for 75 days. Comply with CBIC Instructions 16/2025-CUS and 23/2025-CUS on SIMS registration for steel imports mapped under the QCO.DGFT Notification 33/2015-20 dated 28-09-2020 · DGFT Notification 28/2023 dated 28-08-2023 · CBIC Instruction 16/2025-CUS dated 18-06-2025 as modified by CBIC Instruction 23/2025-CUS dated 15-07-2025
- 4If the consignment lacks BIS certification, apply on the TCQCO portal for clarification before importation, as mandated by the Ministry of Steel circular dated 20-10-2023. Confirm compliance with the CBIC clarification vide F.No. 401/88/2023-CUS.III dated 09-11-2023 on that circular.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
- 5Check whether the Ministry of Steel exemption order dated 20-11-2025 applies: IS 6911, IS 5522, and IS 15997 have been granted exemption from mandatory input adherence until 31-03-2026. If the exemption applies, document the basis explicitly on the bill of entry; the underlying SIMS registration obligation is unaffected by this exemption.Ministry of Steel order F.No. S-20011/15/2024-Tech-Part-1 dated 20-11-2025 · S.O. 5134(E) dated 20-11-2025
The single most common failure on this tariff line is treating the Ministry of Steel's temporary exemption from mandatory input adherence for IS 6911, IS 5522, and IS 15997 (until 31-03-2026) as a blanket waiver of all BIS QCO obligations. The exemption operates only at the input-material adherence level; the statutory requirement that imported stainless steel flat products conform to the applicable Indian Standard under the ISI Mark Scheme, and that each consignment carry a test certificate bearing the standard mark from a CM/L-licensed manufacturer, continues without interruption. Importers who rely on the exemption without contemporaneous documentary evidence of the specific exemption basis face detention and potential confiscation under Section 17 of the BIS Act, 2016.