India: DGTR recommends reduced anti-dumping duties on low-ash met coke imports for five years

• Provisional duties in place until Jun'26, extension sought for 5 years
  
  
• Proposed duties of $42.95-128.8/t lower than current $60.87-130.66/t
  
  

India's trade remedy authority, the Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR), has recommended extending anti-dumping duties on imports of low-ash metallurgical coke for a further five years, according to its final findings. Additionally, the recommended definitive duties are lower ($42.95-128.8/t) than the provisional rates currently in force ($60.87-130.66/t).

The recommendation is now awaiting approval from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry before it can be formally notified.

This follows the Indian government's earlier decision to impose a provisional anti-dumping duty on imports of low-ash metallurgical coke (with ash content below 18%) for a period of six months, until June 2026, to shield domestic producers from low-priced imports. The provisional duty ranged from $60.87/t to $130.6/t, depending on the exporting country, and covered shipments from China, Indonesia, Colombia, Japan, and Russia.

In its final findings, the DGTR has concluded that continued dumping of low-ash met coke from these countries is likely to cause material injury to the domestic industry if the duties are allowed to lapse. Accordingly, it has recommended the imposition of definitive anti-dumping duties for a five-year period.

Notably, the measure is intended to maintain a level playing field for domestic producers against unfairly priced imports, though the lower duties may offer some relief to importers and downstream steelmakers.

The proposal will come into effect only after receiving approval from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and subsequent notification by the Ministry of Finance. Until then, the existing provisional anti-dumping duty will remain in place through June 2026.

Indian met coke scenario

India's metallurgical coke (met coke) imports declined marginally by around 4% y-o-y in FY'26 to 4.62 million tonnes (mnt), compared with 4.81 mnt in FY'25. However, imports from Indonesia, the leading supplier, increased by 17% y-o-y to 2.53 mnt from 2.16 mnt in FY'25, supported by competitive pricing, geographical proximity, and consistent supply availability.

India's domestic met coke production increased 9% y-o-y in FY'26 to around 51.7 mnt. A large share of this output -- approximately 91% -- came from captive production by integrated steel producers.

The increase in domestic output helped reduce reliance on imports and supported the cautious overseas procurement approach adopted by several steelmakers during the year.