India fears dumping as a result of Trump’s 25% tariff threat on imports of steel and aluminum.

In a move that might result in the flooding of steel and aluminium products in markets like India, US President Donald Trump announced he will impose a 25 percent tariff on all steel and aluminium imports into the US, in addition to the current tariffs.

During a conversation with reporters on Sunday, Trump stated he would reveal the new metal tariffs on Monday and plan to disclose reciprocal tariffs on Tuesday or Wednesday, effective almost right away, imposing them on all nations and corresponding to the tariff rates set by each country.

Although India is not among the top exporters of iron and steel products to the US—responsible for merely $3 billion in annual exports—a comparable decision to apply tariffs on steel and aluminum during Trump’s prior term triggered a wave of protectionist measures globally, negatively impacting Indian exports. Worried about a shift of Chinese steel exports from the US to the EU, the latter imposed import restrictions, adversely affecting Indian exports to the EU. Additionally, these actions led to a rise in Chinese steel exports to India, where steel imports are growing.

In December of last year, during a meeting with the commerce department, the steel ministry suggested implementing a 25 percent safeguard duty on specific steel products brought into the nation. Official data revealed that India’s steel imports increased to 5.51 million tonnes (MnT) from April to September 2024-25, up from 3.66 MnT during the same timeframe last year.

During that period, imports from China increased to 1.85 MnT compared to 1.02 MnT in April–September 2023–24. By a significant margin, Canada, endowed with abundant hydropower, is the leading supplier of primary aluminium metal to the US, representing 79 percent of total imports in the first 11 months of 2024.