Recently, the Ministry of Steel, Government of India, after consultation with the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), notified the World Trade Organization (WTO) of the Quality Control Order (QCO) on steel and steel products. It aims to enhance the standards of steel and related products to protect public interest, human health and safety, as well as the housing, infrastructure, and engineering goods.
This QCO includes multiple steel standards:
| No. | Indian Standards | Title of Standard |
| 1 | IS 18316: 2023 | Hot Rolled and Cold Rolled Steel Strips Intended For Processing Of Semi/Fully Processed Non-Grain Oriented Electrical Steel Or Fully Processed Grain Oriented Electrical Steel |
| 2 | IS 18384: 2023 | Hot-Rolled Steel Strip, Sheet and Plates for Welded Steel Pipe for Pipeline Transportation Systems |
| 3 | IS 18385: 2023 | Hot- Dip galvanized/ galvannealed Steel Sheet and strips for Automotive Applications |
| 4 | IS 18513: 2023 | Hot-Dip Zinc - Aluminium - Magnesium Alloy Coated Steel Sheets, Plates and Strips |
| 5 | IS 1469: 1993 | Ferromolybdenum - Specification |
| 6 | IS 1466: 1985 | Specification for Ferro Vanadium |
Under this new QCO, all manufacturers in India and abroad who intend to export to India steel and steel products shall obtain a valid license from the BIS for the use of the Standard Mark before starting regular production of such items. Furthermore, no person shall manufacture, import, distribute, sell, hire, lease, store or display for sale any steel or steel products listed in the table which does not conform to the standards and does not bear the Bureau's standard mark.
To ensure a smooth transition for the industry to comply with the new regulations, the order will open for comments for 60 days from April 19, 2024. All relevant manufacturers must comply with the new order. Those who fails to comply with the orders shall be penalized in accordance with the Bureau of Indian Standards Act (BIS Act), 2016.
