India imposes provisional anti-dumping duty on low ash metallurgical coke imports
The instruction stated that the tax would be applied to imports from Australia, China, Colombia, Indonesia, Japan and Russia for six months.
Also read: India imposes tariffs on some steel products for three years to curb cheap imports
Import barriers on coke increase steel production costs
While the country increases its steel production, capacity expansion, export competitiveness and sub-production are at the center of this goal. But a recent GTRI report pointed to a policy contradiction that is making steel more expensive to produce at a time when demand is rising.
Low-ash metallurgical coke, a critical input that accounts for roughly 35-40% of steel production costs, is at the heart of the problem. Amid moves to protect domestic steel producers from imports of cheap finished steel through safeguard duties, anti-dumping measures and quality control orders, the government has simultaneously tightened access to this essential raw material.
The result of these restrictions is that steel producers are squeezed in terms of input, costs increase, productivity decreases and investment slows down.
Also read: India’s import bans on coke increase steelmaking costs, points out GTRI
Over the last twelve months the government has implemented numerous trade controls on coke in an attempt to protect domestic industry. The import restrictions emerged from a safeguards investigation in 2023. The initial implementation was followed by quantitative restrictions that set country-by-country ceilings, limiting imports to 1.4 million tonnes every six months from January 2025. The restrictions were later extended until December.
At the same time, an anti-dumping investigation covering supplies from Australia, China, Colombia, Indonesia, Japan and Russia resulted in provisional duties ranging from $60 to $120 per tonne in November 2025.
Together, these measures restrict both how much coke can enter the country and how expensive it will be once it enters.
