DGTR: Corrects proposed copper data cable duty unit, MT to KM

The Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) has corrected the unit used in its recommended anti-dumping duty on copper data cable imports originating in or exported from China. Its corrigendum dated 21 October 2026 replaces “MT” with “KM” in the duty table, specifying amounts per kilometre, including a US$86 rate for the categories of producers and imports identified in the notification.

The correction concerns paragraph 111 of DGTR’s final findings dated 16 September 2026. In the corrigendum published in the Gazette of India, the authority describes the original unit as a typographical error and substitutes the paragraph, duty table and accompanying conditions.

The notification, signed by Designated Authority Amitabh Kumar, concerns investigation AD (OI)-39/2025, under file number 6/44/2025-DGTR. It cites the Customs Tariff Act, 1975 and the anti-dumping rules of 1995 as the legal framework for the investigation.

The distinction matters because the corrected recommendation expresses the duty by cable length. A note accompanying DGTR’s table states that the commodity is traded in kilometres and that the recommended anti-dumping duty should be collected in that unit. The corrigendum corrects a recommendation; it is not itself a Central Government notification imposing the duty.

Which imports the corrected table covers

DGTR’s replacement table lists copper data cables under tariff heading 854449. Its product description covers all structured copper data cables, including CAT 5e, CAT 6, CAT 6A, CAT 7, CAT 7A and patch cords.

The table specifies nil anti-dumping duty for Chinese-origin goods manufactured by four named producers, regardless of the country from which they are exported. These are ZTC Technology (Suzhou) Co., Ltd.; Jinhua Guanyang Electronic Technology Co. Ltd.; Zhejiang Chaolian Electronic Co., Ltd.; and Ningbo Excellence Communicated Connector Co., Ltd.

For Chinese-origin goods manufactured by any producer other than those four, DGTR recommends US$86 per kilometre, again regardless of the country of export.

A separate entry recommends the same US$86-per-kilometre amount for covered goods originating in any country other than China but exported from China, irrespective of the producer. The table therefore distinguishes the country where the goods originate from the country from which they are exported.

The individual company rates carry a documentation condition. Under the notification, customs authorities must receive a valid commercial invoice bearing a dated and signed declaration from an official of the entity issuing it. The official must be identified by name and function.

DGTR specifies that the declaration must certify the volume and product sold for export to India, identify the manufacturer and country of manufacture, and confirm that the invoice information is complete and correct. If such an invoice is not presented, the rate applicable to all other producers applies.

The notification also preserves customs authorities’ power to undertake their own verification under applicable customs laws and regulations. The invoice declaration does not replace those checks.

The investigation behind the correction

DGTR initiated the investigation on 18 September 2025, according to its subsequent notice for an oral hearing. The authority’s case page lists the final findings as published on 16 September 2026 and the corrigendum on 21 October 2026.

The investigation followed an application by Sterlite Technologies and Birla Cable, ETTelecom reported on 22 September 2025. According to that report, the companies alleged that copper data cable imports had caused material injury to the domestic industry and sought anti-dumping duties. That was the applicants’ position at the start of the proceedings.

ETTelecom reported that DGTR’s initiation notification found preliminary evidence of dumping after comparing normal value with the export price at the factory level. Dumping concerns exports priced below their normal value; the initial assessment provided grounds to investigate rather than constituting the final determination.

According to ETTelecom, the investigation examined the period from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025. The publication described copper data cables as primarily used in local area networks for high-speed data transmission, telecommunications, networking and audio-video transmission.

DGTR’s notice dated 13 January 2026 scheduled an oral hearing for 23 January 2026 in hybrid mode, allowing physical and video participation. Citing Rule 6(6) of the anti-dumping rules, the notice stated that information presented orally could be considered only if subsequently reproduced in writing. It also required non-confidential submissions to be circulated to other registered interested parties.

The basis and timing of the recommendation

In the substituted paragraph, DGTR says it follows the lesser duty rule: recommending the lower of the dumping margin and the injury margin to remove injury to the domestic industry. In plain terms, the recommendation is not automatically set at the full measured extent of dumping if a lower duty is sufficient to address the injury.

The World Trade Organization’s Anti-Dumping Agreement, reproduced in its Analytical Index, distinguishes between deciding whether to impose a duty and deciding its amount. Article 9.1 describes a duty below the dumping margin as desirable where it would adequately remove injury to the domestic industry. Article 9.3 says the duty must not exceed the dumping margin.

For this investigation, DGTR’s corrected paragraph recommends a five-year duty period beginning on the date of a notification to be issued by the Central Government. It does not set a calendar commencement date for collection.