Are all steel tariff lines covered by the EU-India FTA?

Yes, 100% of mineral and metal tariff lines are at zero duty under the FTA. However, the EU's anti-dumping and countervailing duty measures remain applicable and can override FTA preferential rates for specific products.

What is the CBAM impact on Indian steel exports to the EU?

The EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) applies to steel and iron imports. Indian exporters need to report embedded emissions and will face carbon costs if their production has higher emissions than EU benchmarks.

Where are India's major steel production centers?

Jamshedpur (Tata Steel's home base), Odisha (stainless steel and ferro alloys), Gujarat (Essar/ArcelorMittal complex), and Bellary in Karnataka (iron ore and steel) are the primary production regions.

Steel & Metals

100% of mineral and metal tariff lines at zero duty — but watch for anti-dumping measures

India-EU steel and metals trade stands at roughly €4.6 billion annually, covering everything from hot-rolled coils and cold-rolled sheet to stainless steel flat products, iron ore pellets, and finished wire rod. India ranks among the world's top five steel producers, with capacity exceeding 160 million tonnes per annum, while the EU remains a net importer for many steel grades despite maintaining significant domestic production through legacy steelmakers. The India-EU FTA eliminates tariffs on 100% of mineral and metal tariff lines, but the practical reality is more complex: the EU's anti-dumping framework, safeguard quotas, and the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) create a layered regulatory environment that exporters must navigate carefully.

For Indian exporters, the key opportunity lies in value-added products: alloy steels, stainless steel sheets, and precision tubes where India's cost advantage survives the CBAM compliance burden. Commodity-grade HRC and rebar face stiffer headwinds from safeguard tariff-rate quotas and anti-dumping duties that can run 4-30% on top of the zero MFN rate. European buyers, meanwhile, are actively diversifying supply chains away from China and Russia, creating a structural opening for Indian mills that can demonstrate EN-standard compliance, reliable ESG documentation, and consistent quality across shipments.

The production geography matters for sourcing decisions. Jamshedpur (Tata Steel) and Odisha deliver high-volume flat products; Gujarat's coastal mills (AM/NS India, formerly Essar) offer export-optimised logistics via Hazira port; Bellary's iron ore belt feeds both domestic and export pellet markets; and the Ludhiana-Mandi Gobindgarh corridor in Punjab is India's largest secondary steel cluster, producing re-rolled products and structural sections. Each cluster has distinct strengths, quality certifications, and port access that affect landed cost in European destinations.