Buying electrical steel for India: BIS rules, Nhava Sheva and Chennai shipping, CIF quotes
CRGO and CRNO imported into India must come from BIS-licensed mills. This guide covers the BIS checks, the matching grades, shipping to Nhava Sheva and Chennai, and what a CIF quotation includes.
BIS certification comes first
Under India’s Steel and Steel Products (Quality Control) Order, grain-oriented steel (CRGO, IS 3024) and fully processed non-oriented steel (CRNO, IS 648) may only be imported from mills that hold a valid BIS licence for that product, and the material must carry the ISI mark. Customs checks the licence; consignments from a mill whose licence has lapsed or is under "stop marking" can be held. Second-hand or defective CRGO may not be imported.
- Ask for the mill’s BIS licence number for the exact standard and grade, and check its status on the BIS portal before you order.
- Make sure the licence is valid on the shipment date, not only on the quotation date. Several Chinese licences lapsed in 2026.
- Transformer laminations and cores made from IS 3024 steel have their own quality control order, with a BIS Certificate of Conformity. Check it if you import finished cores rather than coils.
Tell us the material is for India when you ask for a quote, so we can confirm the licence position for the grade before we price it.
Anti-dumping investigation on CRGO (2026)
On 22 June 2026 India’s DGTR opened an anti-dumping investigation into CRGO (and amorphous metal for power transformers) from China, Japan, South Korea and Russia, case AD/OI/016/2026. As of October 2026 no duty has been imposed, but provisional or final duties could follow. Agree in the contract who bears any new duty on goods already shipped.
Grades Indian buyers ask for
Indian tenders usually name a Japanese grade or an AISI M-grade next to IS 3024. The table matches them with Baosteel grades by thickness and guaranteed loss class.
| Baosteel | Nippon Steel | thyssenkrupp | AISI |
|---|---|---|---|
| B23R085 | 23ZDKH85 | H085-23 | — |
| B23P090 | 23ZH090 | H090-23 | — |
| B23P100 | 23ZH100 | H100-23 | H-0 |
| B27P100 | 27ZH100 | H103-27 | — |
| B27P110 | 27ZH110 | — | H-1 |
| B23G120 | — | C120-23 | M-3 |
| B27G130 | 27Z130 | C130-27 | M-4 |
| B30G140 | 30Z140 | C140-30 | M-5 |
| B35G155 | 35Z155 | C165-35 | M-6 |
| Baosteel | EN 10106 | AISI |
|---|---|---|
| B35A250 | M250-35A | M-15 |
| B35A270 | M270-35A | M-19 |
| B35A300 | M300-35A | M-22 / M-27 |
| B50A290 | M290-50A | M-15 |
| B50A310 | M310-50A | M-19 |
| B50A350 | M350-50A | M-22 |
| B50A470 | M470-50A | — |
| B50A600 | M600-50A | — |
| B50A800 | M800-50A | — |
| B65A600 | M600-65A | M-45 |
Shipping to Nhava Sheva and Chennai
- Nhava Sheva (JNPT, Mumbai) suits buyers in Maharashtra, Gujarat and northern India; Chennai suits Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
- Coils and slit coils normally go in 20-foot containers, eye-to-sky or eye-to-side on fixed timber saddles. A 20-foot container is usually loaded close to its weight limit with steel, so plan coil weights with us.
- The monsoon months bring high humidity: we use VCI paper, sealed film and desiccant, and recommend unpacking only in a dry store.
- Transit time depends on the sailing and any transhipment; we give the current schedule with the quotation.
How a CIF quotation works
Under CIF (Incoterms 2020) we book the ocean freight and buy cargo insurance to your named port of destination. Risk passes to you when the goods are loaded on board at the Chinese port; unloading, import clearance, duties and inland delivery are on your side. CIF only requires minimum insurance (Institute Cargo Clauses C) for 110% of the contract value, so ask for Clauses A if you want all-risks cover.
What to send for a CIF quotation: grade (or the standard and loss class you need), thickness and width, coil ID/OD or lamination drawing, quantity per shipment, destination port, required documents, and whether you want Clauses A insurance.
Documents with every shipment
- Commercial invoice, packing list and bill of lading
- Baosteel mill certificate and our inspection report, traceable by coil number
- Insurance certificate (CIF)
- BIS licence details for the mill and grade, and a certificate of origin if your bank or tariff claim needs one
