Overview
- India’s finance ministry notified the duty on November 12 after a DGTR probe found Vietnamese hot-rolled flat products were dumped and caused injury to domestic producers.
- The levy covers alloy and non-alloy hot-rolled flat products up to 25 mm thickness and 2,100 mm width, with stainless steel explicitly excluded.
- The duty will apply for five years from publication and must be paid in Indian currency at the prevailing exchange rate on the bill of entry date.
- Market data indicate Vietnamese HRC inflows fell last year while semi-finished imports rose sharply to 0.49 million tonnes in the first half of FY26, with $242 million of semi-finished shipments from Vietnam in April–September.
- Domestic producers welcomed the action, with Tata Steel’s CEO calling it a check on unfair imports, though some user industries oppose additional trade barriers.