Chemicals, Polymers, Solvents & Intermediates
April 02, 2026
India exempts customs duty on several petrochemicals products for three months
By Kamna Kapoor
Editor:
HIGHLIGHTS
India exempts customs duty on 40 petrochemicals
Exemption runs April 2 through June 30
Duties drop to zero to serve public interest
India has decided to remove customs duty on certain petrochemical and chemical imports, effective April 2.
In a letter issued April 1, the government said the exemption is being granted in public interest under the Customs Act, 1962.
The government also exempted ammonium nitrate from the Agriculture Infrastructure and Development Cess for the same period.
Table of exempted items:
| S.No. | HS Code of the tariff item | Description of Goods | Rate |
| 1. | 2814 10 00 | Anhydrous ammonia | Nil |
| 2. | 2902 30 00 | Toluene | Nil |
| 3. | 2902 50 00 | Styrene | Nil |
| 4. | 2903 12 00 | Dichloromethane (Methylene chloride) | Nil |
| 5. | 2903 21 00 | Vinyl chloride monomer | Nil |
| 6. | 2905 11 00 | Methanol (methyl alcohol) | Nil |
| 7. | 2905 12 20 | Isopropyl alcohol | Nil |
| 8. | 2905 31 00 | Monoethylene Glycol (MEG) | Nil |
| 9. | 2907 11 10 | Phenol | Nil |
| 10. | 2915 21 00 | Acetic acid | Nil |
| 11. | 2915 32 00 | Vinyl acetate monomer | Nil |
| 12. | 2917 36 00 | Purified Terephthalic Acid (PTA) | Nil |
| 13. | 2921 21 00 | Ethylenediamine | Nil |
| 14. | 2922 11 10, 2922 11 90, 2922 12 00 | Di Ethanolamine and Mono Ethanolamine | Nil |
| 15. | 2929 10 20 | Toluene di-isocyanate | Nil |
| 16. | 3102 30 00 | Ammonium nitrate | Nil |
| 17. | 3817 00 11 | Linear alkylbenzenes | Nil |
| 18. | 3901 | Polymers of ethylene (including Ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymers) | Nil |
| 19. | 3902 10 00, 3902 30 00, 3902 90 00 | Polypropylene | Nil |
| 20. | 3903 11 00, 3903 19 10, 3903 19 90 | Polystyrene | Nil |
| 21. | 3903 20 00 | Styrene-acrylonitrile (SAN) copolymers | Nil |
| 22. | 3903 30 00 | Acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) copolymers | Nil |
| 23. | 3904 10 10, 3904 10 20, 3904 10 90 | Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) | Nil |
| 24. | 3904 61 00 | Polytetrafluoroethylene | Nil |
| 25. | 3905 12, 3905 19 | Poly (vinyl acetate) | Nil |
| 26. | 3905 30 00 | Poly (vinyl alcohol) | Nil |
| 27. | 3906 10 10, 3906 10 90 | Poly (methyl methacrylate) | Nil |
| 28. | 3907 10 00 | Polyoxymethylene (POM-acetal) | Nil |
| 29. | 3907 29 | Polyols | Nil |
| 30. | 3907 29 90 | Polyether Ether Ketone (PEEK) | Nil |
| 31. | 3907 30 10 | Epoxy resins | Nil |
| 32. | 3907 40 00 | Polycarbonates | Nil |
| 33. | 3907 50 00 | Alkyd resins | Nil |
| 34. | 3907 61, 3907 69 | Poly (ethylene terephthalate) (PET) Chips | Nil |
| 35. | 3907 91 20 | Unsaturated polyester resins | Nil |
| 36. | 3907 91 50 | Poly (butylene terephthalate) | Nil |
| 37. | 2912 11 00, 3909 10 10, 3909 20 10, 3909 40 20 | Formaldehyde-based resins (Urea, Melamine, Phenolic resins) | Nil |
| 38. | 3909 50 00 | Polyurethanes | Nil |
| 39. | 3911 90 90 | Polyphenylene sulphide (PPS) | Nil |
| 40. | 4002 | Synthetic rubber (Poly butadiene, Styrene butadiene) | Nil |
Duration:
Valid from: April 2, 2026
Valid until: June 30, 2026 (3 months)
For most products on the list, the customs duty is reduced to zero. This means importers won't pay any customs duty on these items during the exemption period and import costs would be reduced, market sources said.
The methanol import duty would be slashed to 0% from 2.75% and vinyl acetate monomer's import duty would be down to 0% from 8.25%, market sources said.
"This measure has been taken as a temporary and targeted relief in order to ensure continued availability of critical petrochemical inputs for domestic industry, reduce cost pressures on downstream sectors, and safeguard supply stability in the country," the government said in a statement on April 2.
The exemption is expected to benefit a wide range of sectors dependent on petrochemical feedstock and intermediates, including plastics, packaging, textiles, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, automotive components and other manufacturing segments, the statement said. "This will also provide relief to consumers of final products," it said.
