Heading · Chapter 85 · Section XVI, Machinery and mechanical appliances
HS 8537Boards, panels, consoles, desks, cabinets and other bases, equipped with two or more apparatus of heading 8535 or 8536, for electric control or the distribution of electricity, including those incorporating instruments or apparatus of chapter 90, and numerical control apparatus, other than switching apparatus of heading 8517 for a voltage not exceeding 1,000 v
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
- Customs duty
- 15%
- 2 tariff items
- GST now
- 18%
- or 5% for some goods
- Import policy
- Free
- Export policy
- Free
- Unit
- kg
- Duty in China
- 1% to 4%
- On Indian goods
Search codesRates as on 19 Oct 2026
Codes under this heading
2 codes. Duty and GST are set on the 8-digit tariff items; open the one that describes your goods.
| Code | Description | Customs duty | GST now | Unit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8537 10 00 | For a voltage not exceeding 1,000 V | 15% | 18% | kg |
| 8537 20 00 | For a voltage exceeding 1,000 V | 15% | 18% | kg |
Importing into India
Duty is set on each 8-digit tariff item: open one of the codes above. Basic customs duty across its 2 tariff items: 15%. The rules below cover this whole code.
Anti-dumping, countervailing and safeguard duty
None in force on this code as on 19 Oct 2026.
Import policy (DGFT ITC(HS)) of its tariff items
- Free: 3 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
| Notification | Goods | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 9/2025-Integrated Tax (Rate)Schedule II, S.No. 509 | Boards, panels, consoles, desks, cabinets and other bases, equipped with two or more apparatus of heading 8535 or 8536, for electric control or the distribution of electricity, including those incorporating instruments or apparatus of chapter 90, and numerical control apparatus, other than switching apparatus of heading 8517 | 18% |
| 9/2025-Integrated Tax (Rate)Schedule I, S.No. 437 | Following 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 service | 5% |
| 9/2025-Integrated Tax (Rate)Schedule II, S.No. 387 | Parts 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 pumps | 18% |
| 9/2025-Integrated Tax (Rate)Schedule II, S.No. 473 | E-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 consumer | 18% |
History
| Period | Rate | Notification |
|---|---|---|
| Until 21 Sep 2025 | 12% or 18% | 1/2017-Central Tax (Rate) |
| From 22 Sep 2025 | 5% 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)
| Drawback item | Goods | Rate | Cap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8537 | Boards, panels, consoles, desks, cabinets and other bases, equipped with two or more apparatus of heading 8535 or 8536, for electric control or the distribution of electricity, including those incorporating instruments or apparatus of Chapter 90, and numerical control apparatus, other than switching apparatus of heading 8517 | 1.7% | — |
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: 3 tariff items
China: the same goods (8537)
China shares the first 6 digits with India and splits them into 10-digit codes of its own: 13 in force and 2 expired under 8537. Exporters see what China charges Indian goods; importers see the rebate and licences their Chinese supplier deals with.
| China code | Goods | Duty on Indian goods | MFN | Import VAT | Export rebate | Licences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8537.10.11.01 | Programmable controllers for machine tools机床用可编程序控制器 | 2.5%APTA rate, with an APTA certificate of origin | 5% | 13% | 13% | None |
| 8537.10.11.10 | Regulating and programming controllers调节和编程控制器 | 2.5%APTA rate, with an APTA certificate of origin | 5% | 13% | 13% | 3 |
| 8537.10.11.90 | Other programmable controllers其他可编程控制器 | 2.5%APTA rate, with an APTA certificate of origin | 5% | 13% | 13% | None |
| 8537.10.19.01 | Other numerical control units for machine tools机床用其他数控单元 | 2.5%APTA rate, with an APTA certificate of origin | 5% | 13% | 13% | None |
| 8537.10.19.90 | Other numerical control devices for non-machine tools其他非机床用数控装置 | 2.5%APTA rate, with an APTA certificate of origin | 5% | 13% | 13% | None |
| 8537.10.90.01 | Control cabinets for lifts and PCBs for control cabinets电梯用控制柜及控制柜专用印刷电路板 | 4%APTA rate, with an APTA certificate of origin | 8% | 13% | 13% | None |
| 8537.10.90.21 | Controllers控制器 | 4%APTA rate, with an APTA certificate of origin | 8% | 13% | 13% | 3 |
| 8537.10.90.22 | Digital controllers数字控制器 | 4%APTA rate, with an APTA certificate of origin | 8% | 13% | 13% | 3 |
| 8537.10.90.30 | Control modules for aircraft飞机用控制模块 | 1%China's provisional rate, lower than MFN | 8% | 13% | 13% | None |
| 8537.10.90.40 | Export-controlled high-pressure water cannon control systems出口管制的高压水炮操控系统 | 4%APTA rate, with an APTA certificate of origin | 8% | 13% | 13% | 3AL |
| 8537.10.90.90 | Other apparatus for the control or distribution of electricity其他电力控制或分配的装置 | 4%APTA rate, with an APTA certificate of origin | 8% | 13% | 13% | AL |
| 8537.20.10.00 | High-voltage switchgear of a voltage >= 500 kV电压≥500千伏高压开关装置 | 4%APTA rate, with an APTA certificate of origin | 8% | 13% | 13% | None |
| 8537.20.90.00 | Other apparatus for controlling or distributing electricity其他电力控制或分配装置 | 4%APTA rate, with an APTA certificate of origin | 8% | 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.
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
Previous8536Electrical apparatus for switching or protecting electrical circuits, or for making connections to or in electrical circuits (for example, switches, relays, fuses, surge suppressors, plugs, sockets, lamp-holders and other connectors, junction boxes), for a voltage not exceeding 1,000 volts: connectors for optical fibres, optical fiber bundles or cables.One level upChapter 85Electrical machinery and equipment and parts thereof; sound recorders and reproducers, television image and sound recorders and reproducers, and parts and accessories of such articlesNext8538Parts suitable for use solely or principally with the apparatus of headings 8535, 8536 or 8537
Sources
- GSTN HSN code masterChecked 13 Oct 2026
- DGFT ITC(HS) import and export policyChecked 9 Oct 2026
- GST rate per HSN (archived GSTZen extract)Checked 29 Sep 2026
- Customs Tariff of India (First Schedule): sections, chapters, notes and statutory BCDChecked 19 Oct 2026
- GST rates on goods, before and after 22 September 2025Checked 18 Oct 2026
- BIS compulsory certification: products and Quality Control OrdersChecked 18 Oct 2026
- Anti-dumping, countervailing and safeguard duties in force (India)Checked 19 Oct 2026
- India's export duty (Second Schedule to the Customs Tariff Act and notifications 27/2011, 55/2022, 22/2024)Checked 18 Oct 2026
- India's All Industry Rates of duty drawback (notification 77/2023-Customs (N.T.))Checked 19 Oct 2026
- China customs tariff (HS编码网)Checked 19 Oct 2026
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.