- DGTR confirms material injury from dumped Chinese CRNO imports
- Measure aims to safeguard domestic producers from unfairly priced imports
The Indian government on 19 December imposed anti-dumping duties on imports of Cold Rolled Non-Oriented (CRNO) electrical steel originating from China PR, citing material injury to the domestic industry, as per a notification issued by the Ministry of Finance (Department of Revenue) on 18 December 2025. The duty will remain in force for a period of five years unless revised or withdrawn earlier.
The decision follows the final findings of the Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR), issued in a notification dated 19 September, which concluded that CRNO electrical steel from China was being imported at lower-than-market prices. The authority observed that a surge in Chinese imports led to price undercutting and price suppression in the Indian market, resulting in a decline in market share and profitability for domestic producers and posing a threat in the absence of remedial measures.
CRNO is widely used for iron core materials of rotating machines ranging from large-size power generators to small-size precision electric motors, which are used in variety of applications like home appliances, HEV/EV traction motors, large generators, industrial motors etc.
Background of the investigation
The anti-dumping investigation was initiated based on an application filed by POSCO Maharashtra Steel Pvt Ltd and CSCI Steel Corporation India Pvt Ltd, which together account for approximately 55–65% of India’s total CRNO production. The period of investigation covered April 1, 2023, to March 31, 2024, while injury assessment spanned FY21-FY24.
The product under consideration includes cold-rolled flat steel products of silicon electrical steel, whether in coils or not, coated or uncoated, and irrespective of width or thickness. However, Cold Rolled Full Hard Silicon Electrical Steel (CRFH), used for the manufacture of CRNO, has been explicitly excluded from the scope of the duty.
CRNO electrical steel is also known as Non-Oriented Electrical Steel (NOES), Non-Grain Oriented Steel (NGO), Non-Oriented Steel (NO), and Cold-Rolled Non-Grain Oriented Steel (CRNGO), all of which are used interchangeably.
DGTR determined that domestically produced CRNO electrical steel and imports from China are technically and commercially substitutable, qualifying as “like articles” under anti-dumping regulations.
Duty structure
Imports produced by Wuhan Iron & Steel, Baosteel Zhanjiang Iron & Steel, and Baoshan Iron & Steel will attract an anti-dumping duty of $223.82 per metric tonne (mt). Imports from all other Chinese producers, excluding these three companies, will be subject to a higher duty of $414.92 per mt. The same duty of $414.92 per mt will also apply to goods manufactured in third countries but exported through China.
Dumping and injury findings
The DGTR found that imports of CRNO electrical steel from China undercut market prices in India over the investigation period, leading to artificially lower prices in the domestic market. The investigation also revealed a significant increase in production capacity and freely disposable capacity in China, strengthening the likelihood of continued injurious dumping. India imported about 1.47 mnt of electrical steel in the ten months to October, while production stood at 550,000 tonnes in the same period.
Outlook
The imposition of the anti-dumping duty is expected to curb low-priced inflows from China, thereby protecting domestic producers from unfairly priced imports into the country. Over its five-year duration, the measure is likely to enhance strengthen investment confidence in the domestic industry, and limit the impact of unfairly priced imports, insulating domestic producers from artificial price shocks.
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