Close on the heels of imposing antidumping (AD) duty on low ash metallurgical coke (met coke) imports from six countries, the Indian government has removed quantitative restrictions on imports of this steelmaking raw material, according to an official notification by India’s Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR).
"Import of low-ash metallurgical coke (having ash content below 18 percent), including coke fines/coke breeze and ultra-low phosphorous metallurgical coke, is free," the notification said.
On December 31, the government had extended import restrictions on low-ash metallurgical coke from January 1 to June 30, 2026, which have now been scrapped after the imposition of provisional AD duty.
The country-specific quantitative limits on import were: Poland - 506,336 mt, Colombia - 249,771 mt, Japan - 209,000 mt, Russia - 89,182 mt, China - 78,646 mt, Indonesia - 66,364 mt, Australia - 51,276 mt, and Singapore - 46,478 mt.
However, last week, the government imposed provisional antidumping duty for six months on imports of low-ash metallurgical coke (met coke) from Australia, China, Columbia, Indonesia, Japan and Russia.
The rates of the provisional AD duties are:
- China: $130.66/mt
- Colombia: $119.51/mt
- Russia: $85.12/mt
- Indonesia: $85.72/mt
- Australia: $73.55/mt
- Japan: $60.87/mt
Market sources believe that the imposed duties will not stop imports of met coke, especially from Indonesia. Last week, the tradable level for coke with CSR 65 from Indonesia was $220/mt FOB, translating to around $235/mt CFR India, including average freight. So, even adding duty, the cost of Indonesian coke for Indian customers will be roughly $320/mt CFR, while local prices are equivalent to $330-350/mt depending on the region. Russian suppliers will also be able to continue sales. But with the higher rate and export prices from China, the country will have fewer advantages and the focus will be on the local Chinese market. The latest reference price for ex-China met coke stood at $225-230/mt FOB.
