India moves to further raise Chinese insoluble sulphur duties

New Delhi – India’s Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) has recommended raising anti-dumping duties on Chinese insoluble sulphur, following an ‘anti-absorption’ probe into the imports of the products.

In its final findings issued 18 Sept, DGTR proposed increasing the duty from $307 to $485 per tonne, with the revised rate applying to all Chinese producers and exporters.

In June last year, India imposed five-year duties on insoluble sulphur from China and Japan. 

As reported by ERJ, the measures ranged from $259 to $358/tonne, with Chinese suppliers subject to a flat $307/tonne duty. (ERJ report)

However, DGTR launched an anti-absorption review in March following an application by Indian producer OCCL Ltd, examining Chinese pricing during July-December 2025.

The authority found that Chinese ex-factory export prices had fallen to $861/tonne from $1,106/tonne during the original 2023 investigation period.

The $245/tonne decline came despite an increase in production costs and had the effect of offsetting the existing duty, DGTR said.

“The anti-dumping duty in force has accordingly been absorbed,” DGTR concluded, adding that the measure had been rendered ineffective.

Following the recent probe, the reassessed dumping margin from Chinese imports increased to 50-60% from 30-40%, while the injury margin rose to 50-60% from 20-30%.

DGTR recommended applying the $485/tonne duty retrospectively from 3 July 2026, when Chinese imports became subject to provisional assessment.

The existing duties on Japanese insoluble sulphur are unaffected by the review.