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Subheading · Chapter 85 · Section XVI, Machinery and mechanical appliances

HS 8523 41Unrecorded

Electrical machinery and equipment and parts thereof; sound recorders and reproducers, television image and sound recorders and reproducers, and parts and accessories of such articles › Discs, tapes, solid-state non-volatile storage devices, smart cards and other media for the recording of sound or of other phenomena, whether or not recorded, including matrices and masters for the production of discs, but excluding products of chapter 37 magnetic media

Customs duty
10%
7 tariff items
GST now
18%
or 5% for some goods
Import policy
Free
Export policy
Free
Unit
units
Duty in China
0%
On Indian goods
Search codesDuty abroadRates as on 19 Oct 2026

Codes under this subheading

7 codes. Duty and GST are set on the 8-digit tariff items; open the one that describes your goods.

Codes under this code
CodeDescriptionCustoms dutyGST nowUnit
8523 41 10Compact disc (Audio/video)10%18%units
8523 41 20Blank master discs (that is, substrate) for producing stamper for compact disc10%18%units
8523 41 30Matrices for production of records; prepared record blank10%18%units
8523 41 40Cartridge tape10%18%units
8523 41 501/2" Videocassette suitable to work with digital VCR10%18%units
8523 41 60DVD10%18%units
8523 41 90Other10%18%units

Importing into India

Duty is set on each 8-digit tariff item: open one of the codes above. Basic customs duty across its 7 tariff items: 10%. The rules below cover this whole code.

Anti-dumping, countervailing and safeguard duty

None in force on this code as on 19 Oct 2026. 3 earlier measures have ended.

Import policy (DGFT ITC(HS)) of its tariff items

  • Free: 7 tariff items

GST

IGST on imports is the GST rate. Rates changed on 22 September 2025.

  • Now 18%, or 5% for some goods.
  • Until 21 September 2025 18%, or 12% for some goods.
  • Change: Unchanged.

The rules that set it now

GST rate rules in force
NotificationGoodsRate
9/2025-Integrated Tax (Rate)Schedule II, S.No. 495Discs, tapes, solid-state non-volatile storage devices, "smart cards" and other media for the recording of sound or of other phenomena, whether or not recorded, including matrices and masters for the production of discs, but excluding products of Chapter 3718%
9/2025-Integrated Tax (Rate)Schedule I, S.No. 437Following renewable energy devices and parts for their manufacture:- (a) Bio-gas plant; (b) Solar power-based devices; (c) Solar power generator; (d) Wind mills, Wind Operated Electricity Generator (WOEG); (e) Waste to energy plants / devices; (f) Solar lantern / solar lamp; (g) Ocean waves/tidal waves energy devices/plants; (h) Photo voltaic cells, whether or not assembled in modules or made up into panels. Explanation:- If the goods specified in this entry are supplied, by a supplier, along with supplies of other goods and services, one of which being a taxable service specified in the entry at S. No. 38 of the Table mentioned in the notification No. 8/2017- Integrated Tax (Rate), dated 28th June, 2017 [G.S.R. 683(E)], the value of supply of goods for the purposes of this entry shall be deemed as seventy per cent. of the gross consideration charged for all such supplies, and the remaining thirty per cent. of the gross consideration charged shall be deemed as value of the said taxable service5%
9/2025-Integrated Tax (Rate)Schedule II, S.No. 387Parts suitable for use solely or principally with power driven pumps primarily designed for handling water, namely, centrifugal pumps (horizontal and vertical), deep tube-well turbine pumps, submersible pumps, axial flow and mixed flow vertical pumps18%
9/2025-Integrated Tax (Rate)Schedule II, S.No. 473E-waste Explanation.- For the purpose of this entry, E-waste means electrical and electronic equipment listed in Schedule I of the E- Waste (Management) Rules, 2016 (published in the Gazette of India vide G.S.R. 338 (E) dated the 23rd March, 2016), whole or in part if discarded as waste by the consumer or bulk consumer18%

History

GST rate history
PeriodRateNotification
Until 21 Sep 202512% or 18%1/2017-Central Tax (Rate)
From 22 Sep 20255% or 18%9/2025-Integrated Tax (Rate)

Exporting from India

Export duty

Nil. The Second Schedule to the Customs Tariff Act does not list these goods, so no export duty is charged.

Duty drawback (All Industry Rates)

All Industry Rates of duty drawback under this heading
Drawback itemGoodsRateCap
8523Discs, tapes, solid state non volatile storage devices “smart cards” and other media for the recording of sound or of other phenolmena, whether or not recorded, including matrices and masters for the production of discs, but excluding products of Chapter 371%—

Drawback items follow the 4-digit heading, not the 8-digit code: claim the one that describes your goods. Rates of notification 77/2023-Customs (N.T.) as amended, in force on 19 Oct 2026.

Export policy (DGFT ITC(HS) Schedule 2) of its tariff items

  • Free: 7 tariff items

What buyers pay abroad: import duty in the US, UK, EU and Australia for 8523 41, and China's below.

China: the same goods (8523 41)

China shares the first 6 digits with India and splits them into 10-digit codes of its own: 1 in force under 8523 41. Exporters see what China charges Indian goods; importers see the rebate and licences their Chinese supplier deals with.

China's tariff for these goods
China codeGoodsDuty on Indian goodsMFNImport VATExport rebateLicences
8523.41.00.00Unrecorded optical media未录制光学媒体0%MFN rate (no APTA concession on this line)0%13%13%None
  • India is a member of the Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement (APTA). With an APTA certificate of origin, Indian goods pay China's APTA rate where the line has one; China applies the lower of that and its provisional rate.
  • The export VAT rebate is what China refunds its own exporters. When China cuts it, Chinese export prices tend to rise.

Every Chinese code in full

8523.41.00Unrecorded optical media

8523.41.00.00Unrecorded optical media未录制光学媒体
Unit
sheet / kg
MFN import duty
0%
Provisional import duty
None
General import duty
14%
Import VAT
13%
Consumption tax
0%
Export duty
0%
Provisional export duty
None
Export VAT rebate
13%
Updated by China
23 Aug 2026
Licences and certificates

None.

Inspection and quarantine

None.

What the customs declaration must state
  • 0.Brand type品牌类型
  • 1.Export preferential status出口享惠情况
  • 2.Use用途
  • 3.Recording function是否录制
  • 4.Type of recorded content录制内容类型
  • 5.Brand (Chinese or foreign names)品牌(中文或外文名称)
  • 6.Model型号
  • 7.Storage capacity存储容量
  • 8.Read speed读取速度
  • 9.GTIN
  • 10.CAS
  • 11.Other其他
China's agreement rates
ASEAN
0%
Chile
0%
Pakistan
0%
New Zealand
0%
Peru
0%
Costa Rica
0%
Switzerland
0%
Iceland
0%
Australia
0%
South Korea
0%
Georgia
0%
Mauritius
0%
Maldives
0%
Cambodia
0%
Nicaragua
0%
Ecuador
0%
Serbia
0%
Hong Kong
0%
Macao
0%
RCEP rates
Australia
0%
Brunei
0%
Cambodia
0%
South Korea
0%
Laos
0%
Malaysia
0%
New Zealand
0%
Singapore
0%
Thailand
0%
Vietnam
0%
Japan
0%
Indonesia
0%
Philippines
0%
Myanmar
0%
CIQ codes
  • 8523410000999Unrecorded optical media未录制光学媒体

China's tariff as compiled by HS编码网 from China Customs, the State Council Tariff Commission and the State Taxation Administration. The Chinese is the original.

Nearby codes

Previous8523 29OtherOne level up8523Discs, tapes, solid-state non-volatile storage devices, smart cards and other media for the recording of sound or of other phenomena, whether or not recorded, including matrices and masters for the production of discs, but excluding products of chapter 37 magnetic mediaNext8523 49Other

Sources

For information, not a customs ruling. Only notifications published in the Gazette have legal force; confirm the duty with your customs broker or ICEGATE before you price a deal.