Other
Iron or steel structures and parts for use in construction (sluice gates, lamp post columns)
HSN 7308 90 90 (other iron or steel structures and structural parts) is covered by a Bureau of Indian Standards Quality Control Order. Conformity to IS 13349:1992 is mandatory under the ISI Mark Scheme with effect from 1 September 2024, under the Cast Iron Products (Quality Control) Order, 2023. 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 13349:1992 for cast iron single-faced thimble-mounted sluice gates. Verify the supplier's CM/L number, licensed product scope, and manufacturing facility on the BIS online register before placing the purchase order.Cast Iron Products (Quality Control) Order, 2023 · S.O. 2287(E) dated 13-06-2024
- 2Ensure each article bears the ISI mark and the supplier's CM/L number under licence per Scheme-I of Schedule-II to the BIS (Conformity Assessment) Regulations, 2018. Marking must appear on the product itself, not on packaging alone.Scheme-I of Schedule-II to the BIS (Conformity Assessment) Regulations, 2018 · Cast Iron Products (Quality Control) Order, 2023 · S.O. 2287(E) dated 13-06-2024
- 3Register the consignment on the Steel Import Monitoring System portal not earlier than 60 days before the expected arrival date. Pay the registration fee of ₹500 and ensure the automatic registration number, valid for 75 days from issue, remains within validity on the date of arrival.DGFT Notification 33/2015-20 dated 28-09-2020 · DGFT Notification 28/2023 dated 28-08-2023 · Policy Condition No. 2 of Chapter 73
- 4Quote the supplier's BIS CM/L number and the SIMS automatic registration number on the bill of entry. Customs verifies the CM/L in real time against the BIS register and the SIMS registration against the DGFT portal; either being absent, expired, or scope-mismatched triggers consignment detention.Cast Iron Products (Quality Control) Order, 2023 · BIS Act, 2016 · Customs Act, 1962
- 5If the consignment is a re-import of steel for packaging purposes only, or an SEZ-to-DTA movement without value addition, document the SIMS exemption basis. The BIS QCO obligation under IS 13349:1992 is not waived by either SIMS carve-out — the ISI-marked product requirement still applies to in-scope articles.DGFT Policy Circular 38/2015-20 dated 19-01-2022
The single most common error on this tariff line is failing to recognise that the QCO scope under IS 13349:1992 is product-specific — cast iron single-faced thimble-mounted sluice gates — while the HSN 7308 90 90 residual bracket is extremely broad, covering octagonal steel lamp-post columns, structural steel elements, and a range of other fabricated articles. Importers frequently apply BIS compliance to the wrong article type, or miss the obligation entirely by assuming the QCO does not reach their specific product, when in fact only the sluice-gate product family is notified under the Cast Iron Products (Quality Control) Order, 2023. Confirm with written supplier confirmation and the CM/L licence scope which article falls within IS 13349:1992 before the shipment departs.