India extends import certification deadline for PVC by six months

India has extended the deadline for implementing mandatory Bureau of Indian Standards certification for PVC to Dec. 24, 2025, according to a government notification released June 23.

The government had announced in February 2024 that all suppliers intending to ship PVC into India must be certified by the Bureau of Indian Standards. The policy was originally set to take effect Aug. 26, 2024, but the Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals had pushed the effective date to Dec. 24, 2024 and then June 24, 2024.

Toward the end of the first quarter of 2025, market participants expected BIS implementation, but most recently, the outlook had changed, as they believed the implementation would involve significant trade flow changes, which the market had not properly evaluated yet.

The delay of BIS order implementation is in line with the expectations of many market participants.

"The BIS implementation is postponed, and now, the holdback on Chinese cargoes is no longer there," a PVC trader based in India said.

A Chinese trader said: "It's still Monday midday, and as of now, we haven't been able to determine a FOB China price with any significant trading implications. At present, market activity remains relatively subdued."

A seller from Asia, on the other hand, added that "due to the uptrend in oil and other feedstock costs, all suppliers are considering increasing the price for July loading." The seller was also upbeat over the announcement that was anticipated to come on the anti-dumping investigation.

The implementation of BIS norms would change PVC trade flows, as Chinese producers were still heard to have either not applied for or been unable to secure BIS certification.

The Platts-assessed CFR India PVC price was stable week over week at $720/mt June 18, considering unchanged tradable indications heard at $720/mt and thin trading activity as the market players awaited upcoming regulatory announcements.

In the adjacent markets, however, prices were mixed, as Platts assessed PVC CFR China was unchanged week over week at $710/mt June 18, in line with a tradable indication heard at $710/mt and below an offer heard at $760/mt.

Platts assessed PVC CFR Southeast Asia unchanged week over week at $675/mt June 18. The east China domestic ethylene-based PVC was assessed down Yuan 30/mt week over week at Yuan 4,930/mt June 18, in line with tradable indications heard at Yuan 4,850-5,050/mt.