



Amid soaring aluminium imports, India brings in new QCO
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.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%.
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