Export iron and steel castings

What is exported

Foundries in Kolhapur, Belagavi, Rajkot, Coimbatore, Howrah and Agra make castings for pumps, valves, tractors, municipal infrastructure and machinery, usually to the buyer's drawings. In 2025-26 India exported about US$ 1.2 billion under HS 7325; the USA led, followed by Germany, Italy, the UK and Canada.

Varieties, grades and forms

• Grey iron castingsPump and valve bodies, machine bases, manhole covers — the largest volume.
• SG (ductile) iron castingsStronger castings for automotive, tractor and pipe-fitting parts.
• Steel and alloy-steel castingsValves, mining and earth-moving parts, often machined before export.
• Municipal castingsManhole covers, gratings and drain covers to EN 124 for Europe and the Middle East.
• Machined cast componentsFinished parts that the drawback schedule may place under 8708, 8487 or 8548 rather than 7325.

Where it is grown or made

• MaharashtraKolhapur and Sangli foundry cluster
• KarnatakaBelagavi foundry cluster
• Tamil NaduCoimbatore — pump and motor castings
• GujaratRajkot and Ahmedabad
• West BengalHowrah — municipal and pipe castings
• PunjabBatala and Ludhiana

The quality buyers ask for

Material grade

Grey iron (EN 1561, e.g. EN-GJL-250; ASTM A48; IS 210), ductile iron (EN 1563, e.g. EN-GJS-400-15; ASTM A536), steel (ASTM A216 WCB and others)

Chemistry and mechanicals

Spectro analysis per heat; tensile strength, elongation and hardness (Brinell) from test bars

Microstructure

Nodularity and nodule count for ductile iron; graphite form for grey iron

Soundness

Radiography (ASTM E446/E186 reference levels), ultrasonic, magnetic particle or dye-penetrant tests, and pressure testing for pump and valve bodies

Dimensional tolerance

Casting tolerance grade (ISO 8062-3 DCTG) and machining allowance on the drawing

Inspection certificate

EN 10204 type 3.1 certificate (or 3.2 with third-party witness) for each heat or lot

Certificates

• ISO 9001RequiredBasic requirement of almost every overseas casting buyer.
• EN 10204 3.1 material certificateRequiredPer-heat certificate of chemistry and mechanical properties; standard in European orders.
• PED 2014/68/EU material approval (AD 2000-W0)Often askedFor castings used in pressure equipment sold in the EU, the foundry often needs approval by a notified body.
• IATF 16949Often askedNeeded for automotive castings.
• ISO 14001 / ISO 45001Often askedEnvironmental and safety systems; asked for by large OEMs.
• CBAM emissions dataOften askedFrom 2026 EU importers of iron and steel goods covered by CBAM must report embedded emissions; check whether your CN code is listed and be ready to supply emissions data.

Shipping, storage and shelf life

What goes on the pack and carton

• Part number, heat number and foundry mark cast on the part or stamped as the drawing says.
• Pallet labels with part number, quantity, weight and order number.
• Country of origin where the buyer or US Customs requires it.

Benefits of exporting this product

• RoDTEP: 0.9% of FOB

  Tariff item 7325 10 00 (cast articles of non-malleable cast iron) earns 0.9% of FOB value, with no rupee cap, as a duty credit scrip on ICEGATE. Other cast articles of iron or steel (7325 99 10–99) also get 0.9%; grinding balls (7325 91 00) get 1%. These rates continue to 31 Dec 2026 (DGFT Notification 41/2026-27). Confirm your exact 8-digit line on the DGFT RoDTEP page before you price an order.

  DGFT — Appendix 4R, RoDTEP schedule for DTA exports w.e.f. 10.10.2024 (Notification 32/2024-25); rates continued to 31.12.2026 by Notification 41/2026-27 ↗
• Duty drawback: 1.5% of FOB

  Drawback item 732599 (other cast articles of iron or steel) has an All Industry Rate of 1.5% of FOB, paid into your bank account. It is not available on exports under Advance Authorisation or from EOU/SEZ units. Machined alloy or stainless-steel cast parts (732501) also get 1.5%. Ready-to-use machined parts may instead go under 8487, 8548 or 8708 (note 3(ii) of the schedule). Check the current schedule on the CBIC drawback page before shipping.

  Gazette of India — Notification 77/2023-Customs (N.T.) dated 20.10.2023: All Industry Rates of duty drawback, in force from 30.10.2023 ↗
• Zero duty into the UK (CETA)

  The India-UK CETA came into force on 15 July 2026 and gives zero-duty access to nearly 99% of India's exports; the Commerce Ministry named engineering goods among the sectors that gain. Claim it with a CETA certificate of origin and check the line for your code on the UK Trade Tariff.

  PIB — India-UK CETA enters into force (15 Jul 2026): zero-duty access for nearly 99% of India's exports ↗

Where to register

• EEPC IndiaRCMC for prime iron and steel products and other engineering goods.eepcindia.org ↗

Quality and checks

• Material test certificates (chemistry and mechanical properties) for each heat, and dimensional reports against the drawing.
• Product standards the buyer names — for example EN 124 for manhole covers in Europe — and often ISO 9001 for the foundry.
• EU: the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (definitive phase from 1 January 2026) covers many iron and steel goods; check whether your CN code is listed and be ready to give your EU importer emissions data.

Where new exporters go wrong

• Porosity or hidden defects found after machining at the buyer's end — agree inspection methods and rejection rules up front.
• Quoting fixed prices while pig iron and scrap prices move — use a raw-material price clause.
• Missing EU CBAM data requests from your buyer, which can stop EU orders.

Documents this product needs

• Proforma invoice
• Purchase order (PO)
• Inspection / quality certificate
• Certificate of origin (CoO)
• Marine insurance certificate

Schemes that apply

• RoDTEP Remission of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products
• Drawback Duty Drawback (All Industry Rates)
• Advance Authorisation Advance Authorisation
• EPCG Export Promotion Capital Goods Scheme
• ECGC ECGC export credit insurance for small exporters
• LUT Letter of Undertaking for zero-rated exports under GST
• Status Holder Status Holder certificate (One to Five Star Export House)