India Imposes 5-Year Anti-Dumping Duty of USD 460–681/MT on Chinese Titanium Dioxide

India has levied a definitive anti-dumping duty on titanium dioxide (TiO2) originating in or exported from China PR. The duty ranges from USD 460 to USD 681 per metric tonne depending on the producer, and will remain in force for five years from the date of publication in the Official Gazette. The measure was notified by the Ministry of Finance (Department of Revenue) as Notification No. 26/2026-Customs (ADD), dated 24 October 2026, acting on the final findings of the Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR).

If you import TiO2 pigment for paints, coatings, inks, plastics, masterbatch or paper, this changes your landed cost and your bill-of-entry workflow immediately.

What Happened

The Department of Revenue has imposed anti-dumping duty on titanium dioxide classified under tariff items 2823 00 10, 3206 11 10 and 3206 11 90, following DGTR's final findings (Case reference F. No. 6/03/2024-DGTR, dated 3 August 2026). The findings were issued on remand from the Calcutta High Court. The classification is indicative only — the product description, not the HS code alone, determines whether the duty applies.

The duty is producer-specific:

• Anhui Gold Star Titanium Dioxide (Group) and its trading arm — USD 609/MT
• Shandong Jinhai Titanium Resources / Shandong Xianghai Titanium — USD 563/MT
• LB Group entities and Henan Billions Advanced Material — USD 460/MT
• Non-sampled cooperating producers (12 listed) — USD 510/MT
• Any other producer, and all imports from China routed via third countries — USD 681/MT

Crucially, a producer-specific (lower) rate applies only if the commercial invoice carries a dated, signed declaration by an official of the issuing entity. Without that declaration, the residual USD 681/MT rate applies by default.

Why This Happened

Anti-dumping duty is a trade-remedy measure: it is imposed when a domestic industry shows that goods are being exported to India below their normal value ("dumped"), causing injury to domestic producers. Here, the domestic TiO2 industry — a key input for India's large paints and coatings sector — sought protection against low-priced Chinese material. DGTR investigated, found dumping and injury, and recommended duties, which the Ministry of Finance has now imposed.

Who's Affected

• Importers of TiO2 pigment for paints, coatings, printing inks, plastics, rubber, cosmetics-grade feedstock (note exclusions below) and paper. Your assessable value now carries an additional per-tonne duty.
• Customs House Agents (CHAs) filing bills of entry on Chapter 28/32 pigments from China.
• Domestic TiO2 producers, who gain pricing relief.
• Downstream paint and coatings manufacturers, who may see input costs rise if they rely on Chinese TiO2.

Several end-uses are excluded from the duty, including food-additive grade (food colouring), pharmaceutical tablet film-coating grade, skincare/cosmetics/sunscreen uses, certain fibre-grade and rutile grade for décor paper at the fibre/pulp stage, and nano/ultrafine TiO2 below 100 nm. Textile printing pigment is not excluded. Confirm your grade against the notification's exclusion list before clearing.

How the Duty Is Assessed

• The duty is payable in Indian currency.
• The exchange rate is the rate notified under Section 14 of the Customs Act, 1962, with the relevant date being the date the bill of entry is presented under Section 46.
• The duty is calculated on the landed value — the assessable value plus applicable customs duties, but excluding the duties under Sections 3, 8B, 9 and 9A of the Customs Tariff Act.

What Importers and CHAs Should Do Now

• Identify affected consignments immediately. Check whether any in-transit or planned TiO2 imports originate in or are exported from China PR.
• Obtain the producer declaration. To claim a lower producer-specific rate, ensure the commercial invoice carries the dated, signed declaration from the producer. Without it, you pay USD 681/MT.
• Re-price landed cost. Add the applicable per-MT duty to your cost sheets and renegotiate contracts or pass-through clauses where possible.
• Verify grade and end-use. If your material falls within an excluded category, keep technical documentation (grade specification, end-use declaration) ready to support the exclusion claim.
• Watch for third-country routing. Material of Chinese origin shipped via another country still attracts the residual rate — origin, not just the port of shipment, governs.
• Update your duty calculators and ERP so bills of entry reflect the ADD line automatically.

The Bigger Picture

This is part of a broader wave of Indian trade-remedy action against Chinese chemical and industrial imports through 2026. For importers, the practical lesson is that producer documentation is now worth real money: the gap between the lowest producer rate (USD 460/MT) and the residual rate (USD 681/MT) is USD 221/MT — material on a full container. For CHAs, ADD notifications like this one add a compliance checkpoint at the bill-of-entry stage that is easy to miss and expensive to get wrong.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does this duty apply to all titanium dioxide? No. It applies to TiO2 of Chinese origin or exported from China under tariff items 2823 00 10, 3206 11 10 and 3206 11 90, with several end-use exclusions (food, pharma coating, cosmetics/sunscreen, certain fibre and décor-paper grades, and nano/ultrafine below 100 nm).

How long will the duty stay in force? Five years from the date of publication in the Official Gazette, unless revoked, superseded or amended earlier.

How do I get the lower producer rate? Your commercial invoice must carry a dated, signed declaration from an official of the producing entity. Without it, the residual USD 681/MT rate applies.

Can material routed through a third country avoid the duty? No. Chinese-origin TiO2 exported to India via any other country still attracts the duty — the residual rate applies to such routing.

Conclusion

TiO2 importers should treat this as a live cost and compliance change from the date of gazette publication. Secure producer declarations, re-price landed cost, confirm grade exclusions, and brief your CHA so every bill of entry reflects the correct producer-specific or residual rate.

This article is for general guidance only. Verify the exact rates, producer list, exclusions and effective date against the official notification published by the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) at cbic.gov.in and the DGTR final findings at dgtr.gov.in before acting.