New Delhi: India has issued a new quality control order (QCO) for aluminium and aluminium alloy products, mandating compliance of Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) norms by domestic and overseas firms for a wide range of products used across engineering, packaging, construction and electrical applications. India has seen a sharp rise in imports of the metal and its products in the recent past.
The order comes in the backdrop of withdrawal of over 50 quality control orders imposed on various intermediary products and the relaxation of compliance requirements for some others.
The 13 March order issued by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) replaces the QCO of 2025. It covers a broad set of products, including aluminium alloy tubes for irrigation purposes, electrical conductor (EC) grade aluminium rods, aluminium foil used for pharmaceutical packaging, aluminium composite panels, and corrugated aluminium sheets. It also includes wrought aluminium and aluminium alloy bars, rods, plates, sheets, strips, wires and rivet stock used in general engineering and electrical applications, the order said.
India’s import of aluminium and related products has seen a notable rise over the past year, reflecting strong domestic demand for the metal across sectors such as construction, packaging and engineering.
Soaring imports
As per the commerce ministry data, imports of wrought aluminium rose to $1,057.09 million in FY25 from $921.33 million in FY24, marking a rise of about 15%. A sharper increase was seen in aluminium wires, where imports jumped over 108% to $152.82 million from $73.25 million over the period, indicating a surge in demand for electrical and industrial applications.
Imports of aluminium plates, sheets and strips rose by about 34% to $810.74 million in FY25 from $605.08 million a year earlier. Aluminium foil imports saw an increase of about 14% to $847.67 million from $742.30 million, driven largely by demand from the packaging and pharmaceutical industries.
Overall, of aluminium and aluminium products rose significantly from $6,864.14 million in FY24 to $8,272.99 million in FY25, an increase of about 20.5%, highlighting the country’s continued reliance on overseas supplies to meet domestic industrial demand.
What the order means
As per the order, all goods covered under the QCO must comply with the specified Indian standards and carry the BIS standard mark under a licence from the Bureau of Indian Standards.
A QCO is a government regulation that makes it mandatory for specified products to comply with the country’s quality standards and obtain certification from the BIS before they can be sold in the domestic market. Imported products are also required to comply. However, the certification mandate does not apply to products manufactured in India solely for export.
Earlier, the government had brought wrought aluminium utensils and aluminium cans for beverages under mandatory BIS certification and the compulsory use of the BIS mark for specified products, as reported by Mint on 17 January. However, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) were given additional time to comply. The phased rollout of the norms extends up to April 2027 for micro enterprises.
is expected to benefit domestic aluminium producers such as Hindalco Industries, Vedanta Aluminium, National Aluminium Co. Ltd (Nalco) and Jindal Aluminium Ltd, among others.
Queries sent to the companies mentioned remained unanswered until press time.
The QCO is expected to impact imports from China, from where India imported aluminium products worth $1.47 billion in FY24, which rose to $1,989.84 million 1.99 billion in FY25. Imports from Malaysia also increased significantly, rising 49% to $515.2 million in FY25 from $346.7 million in FY24.
With the new QCOs coming into force after a series of withdrawals, the number of products under the standards regime has risen to 713, up from 711, which had earlier been reduced from 761. Earlier, the rollback followed the recommendation of a high-level committee on non-financial regulatory reforms chaired by Niti Aayog member and former cabinet secretary Rajiv Gauba.
Transition time
Industry representatives say that while quality control orders can help improve product standards and curb the influx of low-quality imports, smaller manufacturers may need time and support to comply with the certification requirements.
“QCOs can help improve product standards and protect consumers, but it is important that MSMEs are given adequate time and support to comply with the certification requirements,” said Vinod Kumar, president of the India SME Forum. “Many smaller manufacturers may face challenges in upgrading testing processes, documentation and BIS certification, so phased implementation and capacity-building support will be critical to ensure that are not adversely affected.”