CBIC Revises Customs Tariff Values from 1 October 2026: Palm Oils, Gold, Silver, Brass Scrap and Areca Nut

CBIC has issued Notification No. 80/2026-Customs (N.T.) on 30 September 2026, revising the tariff values (also called benchmark or notified values) used to assess customs duty on a defined list of commodities. The revised values take effect from 1 October 2026. The notification amends the long-standing Notification No. 36/2001-Customs (N.T.), the base instrument under which CBIC fixes these values on a roughly fortnightly basis.

What Happened

For certain sensitive, price-volatile commodities, customs duty is not assessed on the transaction (invoice) value but on a government-fixed tariff value per unit. CBIC revises these values regularly to track international prices and curb under-invoicing. The latest revision covers:

• Palm oils (crude, RBD and other grades) — in the region of USD 1,229–1,235 per metric tonne
• Palmolein (crude, RBD and other grades) — around USD 1,248–1,251 per metric tonne
• Crude soybean oil — about USD 1,280 per metric tonne
• Brass scrap (all grades) — about USD 8,149 per metric tonne
• Gold — about USD 1,339 per 10 grams (for specified entries)
• Silver — about USD 1,965 per kilogram (for specified entries)
• Areca nuts — about USD 11,574 per metric tonne (reported unchanged)

The gold and silver entries are read together with the earlier specified-goods notification referenced in the text. Figures above are indicative of the published values; the notification itself is the controlling document and should be used for actual assessment.

Why This Matters

Because the tariff value, not the invoice price, is the base for duty on these goods, a change in the notified value changes the landed cost even when the contract price is fixed. Importers who have booked crude palm oil, palmolein, soybean oil, brass scrap or bullion shipments arriving on or after 1 October 2026 must re-check the duty payable on their bills of entry against the new values. This is the normal fortnightly mechanism rather than a policy shift, but it directly affects duty computation and cash flow for edible-oil refiners, metal recyclers and bullion importers.

Who's Affected

Edible-oil importers and refiners (palm, palmolein, soybean), brass and metal-scrap importers, and gold and silver importers. Customs brokers filing bills of entry for these commodities, and finance teams reconciling duty provisions, are equally affected. The areca-nut value matters to importers of that commodity, which is also subject to minimum import price and other restrictions.

What Importers and CHAs Should Do Now

• Re-check the tariff value applied on every bill of entry for the listed commodities filed on or after 1 October 2026; the system should pick up the new values automatically, but verify.
• Recompute landed cost and duty for in-transit consignments so pricing and provisioning reflect the revised base.
• For edible oils, read this revision together with the recent basic-customs-duty cuts on crude and refined edible oils — the duty rate and the tariff value are separate levers and both affect the final figure.
• Diarise the next fortnightly revision; these values change regularly, so do not rely on today's figures for shipments clearing later in October.
• Keep the notification reference on file to support assessment and any post-clearance audit.

The Bigger Picture

Tariff-value notifications are a routine but consequential part of Indian customs administration for a handful of high-value or price-sensitive goods. They are one of the government's tools for protecting revenue and stabilising assessment on commodities where invoice values can be manipulated. For importers, the discipline is simply to treat each fortnight's notification as a live input to costing rather than a formality.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does this change the rate of customs duty? No. It changes the value on which duty is calculated for the listed goods. The duty rate is set separately.

Which goods are covered? Palm oils, palmolein, crude soybean oil, brass scrap, gold, silver and areca nuts, as specified in the notification.

From when does it apply? From 1 October 2026, for relevant bills of entry.

Where do I find the exact values? In the text of Notification No. 80/2026-Customs (N.T.) on the CBIC/ICEGATE portal. Use the official figures for assessment.

Conclusion

The 1 October tariff-value revision resets the duty base for edible oils, bullion, brass scrap and areca nut. The action for importers and CHAs is operational: verify the applied values on October bills of entry, recompute landed cost for in-transit cargo, and keep watching the fortnightly cycle.

This summary is for general guidance. Verify the exact tariff values against Notification No. 80/2026-Customs (N.T.) on the CBIC website (cbic.gov.in) before assessment.