anti-dumping duty metallurgical coke is the core development covered in this report. Below is a sourced breakdown of what is confirmed, what remains uncertain, and why it matters.
Why anti-dumping duty metallurgical coke matters now
This section focuses on the practical implications of anti-dumping duty metallurgical coke for readers following the story — what changed, what is confirmed, and what remains open.
On 27 July 2026, the Ministry of Finance (Department of Revenue) issued Notification No. 18/2026-Customs (ADD) imposing a definitive anti-dumping duty on imports of Low Ash Metallurgical Coke (ash content below 18%) from Australia, China PR, Colombia, Indonesia, Japan and Russia. The measure follows the Designated Authority’s final findings (DGTR, 28 April 2026) and converts the earlier provisional duty into a five-year definitive regime keyed to the provisional duty’s start date.
Statutory basis and investigation trail
The Central Government acted under sub-sections (1) and (5) of Section 9A of the Customs Tariff Act, 1975, read with Rules 18 and 20 of the Customs Tariff (Identification, Assessment and Collection of Anti-dumping Duty on Dumped Articles and for Determination of Injury) Rules, 1995.
- 14 November 2025: DGTR preliminary findings (F. No. 6/03/2025-DGTR) recommended provisional duty.
- 31 December 2025: Provisional ADD imposed via Notification No. 41/2025-Customs (ADD).
- 28 April 2026: Final findings concluded that the product was exported to India at dumped prices; the domestic industry suffered material injury; and injury was caused by dumped imports from the subject countries.
- 27 July 2026: Definitive duty notified as G.S.R. 667(E), Notification No. 18/2026-Customs (ADD).
Product coverage and duty table (USD per MT)
Subject goods are Low Ash Metallurgical Coke—metallurgical coke with ash content below 18%—falling under tariff items 2704 00 10, 2704 00 20, 2704 00 30 and 2704 00 90. Customs classification is stated as indicative; duty turns on the product description. Country-linked amounts include:
- Australia: USD 71.16 / MT
- China PR: USD 128.83 / MT
- Colombia: USD 118.55 / MT
- Indonesia: USD 67.50 / MT
- Japan: USD 42.95 / MT
- Russia: USD 84.16 / MT
Parallel rows apply the same amounts where goods originate in a non-subject country but are exported from a subject country (anti-circumvention style origin/export pairing). Duty is payable in Indian currency using the exchange rate applicable under Section 14 of the Customs Act, 1962, with the relevant date being the bill of entry under Section 46.
Exemptions written into the notification
Paragraph 2 carves out specific categories, subject to conditions:
- Ultra-low phosphorous met coke (phosphorous up to 0.030%, size up to 30 mm with 5% tolerance) imported by an actual user for ferroalloy manufacturing, with a customs undertaking to pay duty plus interest if diverted.
- Semi-coke or soft coke (excluded from the ADD).
- Size 20–40 mm low ash met coke (mean size ~30 mm ± 2 mm) imported by an actual user for blast furnaces up to 130 m³ for pig iron manufacturing, with undertaking plus a valid SPCB/CPCB capacity certificate.
Before vs after
| Aspect | Provisional phase | Definitive notification (27 July 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Legal instrument | Notification 41/2025-Customs (ADD) | Notification 18/2026-Customs (ADD) |
| Duration logic | Interim pending final findings | Five years from provisional imposition, unless revoked/amended earlier |
| Gap period | Provisional duty could lapse before definitive notification | No ADD for the period from provisional lapse up to the day before gazette publication of 18/2026 |
| User exclusions | As then notified | Detailed ferroalloy and small blast-furnace carve-outs with undertakings/certificates |
Implementation questions
- How will customs formations verify “actual user” status and end-use for exemption claims at the time of import?
- What documentation standard will apply for SPCB/CPCB blast-furnace capacity certificates—and how often must they be renewed?
- How should contracts priced during the interregnum (after provisional lapse, before definitive publication) allocate the non-levy window?
- Will mid-stream traders who are not actual users face full duty even when supplying exempt end-users?
- How will steel and foundry buyers revisit landed-cost models given Japan’s lower USD/MT rate versus China PR and Colombia?
Limitations
Anti-dumping duty is a trade-remedy levy keyed to dumped imports and injury findings; it is not a general import ban. Exemptions are narrow and condition-heavy. The five-year clock runs from the provisional duty date, not from 27 July 2026 alone. The notification does not fix domestic coke prices; market outcomes will depend on supply responses, substitute fuels, and any later mid-term review. Circumvention via misdescription of ash content or size remains an enforcement risk for both industry and customs. Infrastructure-linked steel capacity planning should treat the duty as a cost input, not as a guarantee of domestic availability.
Why metallurgical coke sits at an infrastructure hinge
Low ash metallurgical coke is a process input for blast furnaces and related ironmaking routes that feed construction steel, rails, and capital goods. Anti-dumping action on this input therefore sits at the junction of trade remedy policy and industrial infrastructure costs. The notification’s country-wise USD-per-MT schedule is designed to offset dumped price advantage rather than to prescribe a domestic selling price. Buyers comparing Japan (USD 42.95) with China PR (USD 128.83) will see very different landed-cost impacts even before freight and exchange-rate conversion under Section 14 of the Customs Act.
The ferroalloy and small blast-furnace carve-outs show the Designated Authority / Central Government attempt to protect specialised users where product specs differ (ultra-low phosphorous; constrained furnace size). Those users must still perfect undertakings and, where required, pollution-board capacity certificates at the time of import—paperwork failures convert an exemption into a duty liability with interest.
From a public-policy standpoint, definitive ADD closes the provisional chapter and gives domestic producers a multi-year visibility window while leaving mid-term review and sunset processes available under the anti-dumping rules. Importers should calendar the five-year horizon from the provisional imposition date (Notification 41/2025-Customs (ADD), 31 December 2025), not merely from 27 July 2026. Contracts should also address the explicit non-levy window between provisional lapse and the day before gazette publication of Notification 18/2026, so neither party assumes duty was payable when the notification says it was not.
Customs brokers clearing subject goods should capture producer/exporter identity carefully against the duty table rows, including the “any country other than [subject set] / exported from [subject country]” pairings that police triangulation. Mis-declaring ash content above or below the 18% threshold can flip both classification strategy and ADD exposure; laboratories and certificates of analysis therefore become part of the compliance file, not optional commercial paperwork.
FAQ
What is “low ash” for this notification?
Metallurgical coke with ash content below 18%, as defined in the notification’s product description.
How long does the duty last?
Five years from the date provisional ADD was imposed, unless revoked, amended, or superseded earlier.
Is every met coke import covered?
No. Semi-coke/soft coke are excluded, and specified ultra-low phosphorous and small blast-furnace size grades may be exempt if conditions are met.
Where is the primary text?
Notification No. 18/2026-Customs (ADD) dated 27 July 2026 (G.S.R. 667(E)), F. No. CBIC-190349/76/2025-TRU.
Primary sources
Disclaimer: Figures and exemptions are taken from Notification No. 18/2026-Customs (ADD) as published. Importers should verify the gazette PDF and seek customs counsel for classification and exemption claims.
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Featured image: Industrial steel production photo via Unsplash (Unsplash License)
