Steel and Steel Products (Quality Control) Order, 2020

To comply with the latest version of steel and steel products safety standards and to support the Standard Mark, the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), the Government of India issued the Steel and Steel Products (Quality Control) Order, 2020. This steel products draft quality control order seeks to tighten quality norms for steel, both imported and manufactured. The new provision of steel quality order will become effective on August 1, 2020; the quality order mandates the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) certification for steel products imports. This article will look at the Steel and Steel Products (Quality Control) Order 2020 in detail.

Purpose of Steel and Steel Products (Quality Control) Order

Introducing the Steel and Steel Products (Quality Control) Order aims to ensure quality steel products for the customer and strengthen the government’s current policy of keeping non-essential imports under check. According to the reports, India is one of the net importers of finished steel products, and the Steel Quality control order is one of the essential ways to halt the flow of cheap sub-standard steel products in the Indian market.

Applicability of Steel and Steel Products (Quality Control) Order

Steel and Steel Products (Quality Control) Order relates to the regulation of steel and steel products. The products included in the order are steel tubes, tubular, other wrought steel fitting, steel tubes for structural purposes, water wells, or any other products as notified by the Government of India. The quality order of cables applies to heavy-duty electric cables, aerial bunched cables, elastomeric insulated cables, shot firing cables, welding cables, and halogen-free flame retardant cables.

Significance of Quality Control Order

The introduction of quality control orders is to formulate technical regulations such as safety and quality standards for 350 products to curb imports of non-essential steel items.
According to the quality orders, the notified items cannot be produced, imported, traded, or stocked unless they bear the Bureau of Indian Standard mark (BIS mark).

Conformity to Standards and Essential Requirements

Every steel and steel product specified in the quality control order must conform to the corresponding Indian standards defined in the order.
Stainless steel pipes and tubes made from the stainless steel products specified in the order need to conform to Indian Standards specified in the qualifying order, bearing Standard Mark. They need to accompany the test certificate of input material.
Goods specified in the order conform to the corresponding essential requirement under a Certificate of Conformity from the Bureau as per Scheme–IV of Schedule–II of the Bureau of Indian Standards (Conformity Assessment) Regulations, 2018

Exclusion of Export in Quality Control Order

The order excludes products meant for shipping. Elimination of export is for the purpose that Indian traders making such items for foreign market needs and they need to comply with the destination market standards.

Compulsory Use of Standard Mark

Every steel and steel products need to bear the Standard Mark under a license from the Bureau as per Scheme–I of Schedule–II of the Bureau of Indian Standards (Conformity Assessment) Regulations, 2018.

Prescribed Authority for Steel Imports

As per the draft Steel and Steel Products (Quality Control) Order, the BIS Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) would certify and enforce all steel and steel products exported, imported, and manufactured in India.