Import duty on potassium hydroxide (caustic potash) from Dubai (UAE) to India
HS 28152000 · Dubai / UAE → India · SODIUM HYDROXIDE
Data last updated: · MFN duty & IGST verified against ICEGATE (Indian Customs EDI). CEPA preferential rate per the India–UAE CEPA schedule. Verify your exact HS line before filing.
Duty breakdown on a ₹10,00,000 shipment
Enter your own value to recalculate the table below.
| Component | Standard (MFN) | CEPA |
|---|---|---|
| Basic customs duty | ₹75,000 | ₹0 |
| Social Welfare Surcharge | ₹7,500 | ₹0 |
| IGST | ₹1,94,850 | ₹1,80,000 |
| Total duty | ₹2,77,350 | ₹1,80,000 |
CEPA duty saving on this example: ₹97,350 . Run your own numbers in the import-duty estimator. New to BCD, SWS and IGST? See the glossary.
How this duty changes, year by year
India's schedule of tariff concessions (CEPA Annex 2A) sets a preferential rate for each of ten years, not one permanent figure. For HS 28152000 the modality is TEP over 5 years, reaching zero in 2026.
| Year | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026now | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 | 2030 | 2031 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CEPA BCD | 7% | 6% | 4% | 2% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
Rates as published in India's schedule; the agreement entered into force on 1 May 2022, so Year 1 is 2022. CEPA Annex 2A
What drives the rate
Importing potassium hydroxide (caustic potash) (HS 28152000) from the UAE to India attracts a 7.5% MFN basic customs duty, and the India–UAE CEPA preferential rate is 0%. Caustic potash is used in soaps, fertilisers, potassium chemicals, food processing and battery electrolytes, with steady Indian industrial demand. CEPA removes the 7.5% basic duty. UAE chlor-alkali production satisfies the 40% regional-value-content rule where the material is genuinely made locally rather than repackaged — and repackaging is the failure mode to watch on a commodity chemical that moves through regional distribution in drums and IBCs. KOH is strongly corrosive, bringing hazardous-cargo classification, lined-tank or drum requirements and handling approvals that gate the shipment independently of duty and usually set the timeline. Food-grade applications add purity documentation the buyer will audit. The practical discipline is to keep the producer's certificate of analysis with the origin declaration: the certificate names the manufacturing plant, which is precisely what an origin claim asserts, so a mismatch between the two is the thing that unravels a preference at assessment. Set it up as standing documentation with the producer rather than chasing it per consignment. The rate is on a published staircase, not a fixed number: Annex 2A takes this line from 7% in 2022 to zero in 2026 — TEP over 5 years — with 0% the rate for 2026. A supply contract signed across that boundary is worth pricing against the later rate. The preference is worth 8.25% of assessable value on every consignment — the 7.5-point basic-duty gap plus the 10% Social Welfare Surcharge that rides on it — so it scales with shipment size rather than with effort, and the Certificate of Origin costs the same either way. Social Welfare Surcharge adds 10% on the basic duty, not on the goods, and IGST of 18% then applies to the CIF + BCD + SWS total — IGST is recoverable as input tax credit, so the durable benefit is the basic duty alone. Confirm the live rate on ICEGATE before filing; ₹10,00,000 is only the worked example above.
Import compliance & clearances
Beyond duty, importing potassium hydroxide (caustic potash) (HS 28152000) into India requires the following regulatory clearances. The CEPA preferential rate does not waive any of these — they apply regardless of origin.
- DGFT Valid IEC (Importer-Exporter Code) required; ITC(HS) import policy: Free source ↗
Indicative and non-exhaustive — verify the current DGFT / BIS / FSSAI / CDSCO notification for your exact 8-digit HS line before importing. Not customs or legal advice.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the import duty on potassium hydroxide (caustic potash) from the UAE to India?
- The standard MFN basic customs duty is 7.5%; under India–UAE CEPA the preferential rate is 0%. SWS adds 10% on the basic duty and 18% IGST applies on the CIF + BCD + SWS base.
- How much can CEPA save on potassium hydroxide (caustic potash)?
- On a CIF value of ₹10,00,000, total duty falls from ₹2,77,350 (MFN) to ₹1,80,000 (CEPA) — about ₹97,350 saved per shipment, scaling with consignment value.
- What do I need to claim the CEPA rate on potassium hydroxide (caustic potash)?
- A valid preferential Certificate of Origin (eCoO 2.0) proving UAE origin under the Rules of Origin. Without it, customs charges the 7.5% MFN rate.