Where Indian auto parts ship from: clusters, ICDs and gateway ports
Auto components leave India from every manufacturing belt, and the gateway follows the factory. The pairings below are geography, not a rule: your freight forwarder books the port with the best sailing for the US destination, and the inland leg often decides it. Compare sailings on the port-pair pages and the transit time tool.
- Chennai, Hosur, Sriperumbudur, Oragadam (Tamil Nadu): three container terminals within trucking distance, Chennai (INMAA), Ennore/Kamarajar (INENR) and Kattupalli (INKAT); see Chennai to New York, Ennore to Savannah and Chennai to Los Angeles. Airlift's Chennai branch arranges pickup, stuffing and the Shipping Bill; Bengaluru covers Hosur and the Karnataka plants.
- Pune, Chakan, Pimpri-Chinchwad (Maharashtra): Nhava Sheva (INNSA) by road, or by rail from the Pune-area ICDs on JNPA's list of destinations for JN Port: Chinchwad (INCCH6), Talegaon (INTLG6) and Dighi (INDIG6).[5] Airlift's Navi Mumbai and Mumbai branches handle the port end; see Nhava Sheva to New York.
- Delhi NCR, Gurugram, Manesar, Faridabad: containers are stuffed at the factory or an ICD and railed to the west coast. JNPA's list includes Tughlakabad (INTKD6), Patparganj (INPPG6), Dadri (INDER6), Garhi Harsaru (INGHR6), Faridabad (INFBD6) and Piyala/Ballabhgarh (INBFR6).[5] Mundra (INMUN) and Pipavav (INPAV) are the other west-coast gateways; see Mundra to Houston and Pipavav to Newark. Airlift's New Delhi branch arranges the ICD side and Gandhidham the Mundra end.
- Ludhiana (Punjab): fasteners and tractor parts rail from the Ludhiana ICDs on JNPA's list, Kanech (INSNI6), Kilaraipur (INQRH6) and Chawapail (INCPR6), to Nhava Sheva or Mundra.[5]
- Rajkot and Ahmedabad (Gujarat): castings, forgings and machined parts truck to Mundra or Pipavav; Ahmedabad also has the Khodiyar (INSBI6) and Sanand (INSAU6) ICDs.[5] Airlift's Ahmedabad and Gandhidham branches cover the state.
- Jamshedpur and the east: Kolkata (INCCU) for the services that call there, or rail west when the sailing is better; see Kolkata to New York. Airlift's Kolkata branch covers the belt.
Are auto parts free to export from India? Export policy, EEPC India and the RCMC
India's export policy is Schedule 2 of the ITC (HS). Free goods export without a restricted export authorization, subject to any condition printed against the entry; Restricted goods need one; Prohibited goods cannot be exported.[2] In the current 8-digit Schedule 2, every tariff item of heading 8708 (parts and accessories of the motor vehicles of headings 8701 to 8705) is Free. Most carry Policy Condition 1 of Chapter 87, which restricts only vintage parts: parts and components of motor cars manufactured before January 1, 1950 and of motorcycles manufactured before January 1, 1940 need a Restricted Export Authorisation.[1] The tariff items of headings 8409 (engine parts), 8483 (shafts, bearings and gears), 8511 and 8512 (ignition, starting, lighting and signaling equipment), 8536 (switches and relays), 7318 (fasteners) and 4011 (new pneumatic tires) are Free with no policy condition.[1] The schedule is amended by notification, so check your own 8-digit code in DGFT's ITC (HS) export policy lookup before each new product.
Anyone applying for an authorization under the Foreign Trade Policy (other than for items listed as Restricted) or for any other benefit or concession under it, such as RoDTEP, must provide a Registration-cum-Membership Certificate (RCMC) granted by the competent authority (paragraph 2.57 of FTP 2023); Export Promotion Councils issue RCMCs for the product groups assigned to them in Appendix 2T (paragraph 2.56).[3] For automotive components the council is EEPC India (formerly Engineering Export Promotion Council), item 7 of Appendix 2T, whose product list includes motor vehicles, automobile components, two- and three-wheelers, internal combustion engines and parts, pumps, hand and machine tools and prime iron and steel products. Automobile tires and tubes sit with a different council, CAPEXIL.[4] The IEC, AD code, LUT and RCMC guide walks through the registrations in order, and the RoDTEP, drawback and IGST refund guide covers what the RCMC unlocks.
HS codes for auto parts: 8708 and the headings that are not 8708
Heading 8708 covers parts and accessories of the motor vehicles of headings 8701 to 8705: bumpers (8708.10), safety seat belts (8708.21), windshields and windows (8708.22), other body parts (8708.29), brakes (8708.30), gear boxes (8708.40), axles (8708.50), road wheels (8708.70), suspension and shock absorbers (8708.80), radiators (8708.91), mufflers and exhaust pipes (8708.92), clutches (8708.93), steering parts (8708.94), airbags (8708.95) and other parts (8708.99).[7] Many parts an auto-component plant makes are not 8708: pistons, valves and liners sit in 8409; crankshafts, bearings, gears and shafts in 8483; starter motors and ignition in 8511; vehicle lighting and wipers in 8512; switches, relays and connectors in 8536; nuts, bolts and screws in 7318; pumps in 8413; new pneumatic tires in 4011. Both countries build on the same 6-digit Harmonized System; the digits after the sixth differ by country.
Classification is your customs broker's call in India and your buyer's licensed customs broker's call in the United States. We do not quote Column 1 rates here; read them with your buyer on the import-duty pages for the lines that exist from India, for example 8708.30.50 brakes and parts, 8708.40.75 gear box parts, 8708.99.81 other parts, 8409.99.91 engine parts, 8483.40.50 gears and gearing and 4011.10.10 radial passenger car tires, or search the HTS code finder. The heading decides two things that matter more than the digits: whether the Section 232 auto-parts duty applies, and which US agency, if any, regulates the part. The next three sections take those in turn.
What your US buyer pays: Section 232 on auto parts, Section 301 on India, AD/CVD
US duties are the importer's bill, not yours, but they shape your buyer's landed cost. Proclamation 10908 of March 26, 2025 imposed a 25% ad valorem tariff under Section 232 on automobiles and on the automobile parts listed in its Annex I (engines and engine parts, transmissions and powertrain parts, and electrical components), in addition to other duties, from no later than May 3, 2025 for parts, and set up a process for adding parts to the scope.[8] Proclamation 10984 of October 17, 2025 added a 25% duty on the medium- and heavy-duty vehicle parts listed in its own Annex I from November 1, 2025.[9] In the current HTS, heading 9903.94.05 applies the Column 1 duty plus 25% to automobile parts in subdivision (g) of U.S. note 33, except for the partner-specific headings it lists; none of those is for India.[7] The United States–India joint statement of February 6, 2026 said India would receive a preferential tariff-rate quota for automotive parts; as of October 15, 2026 we found no proclamation or HTS heading putting it into effect, so Indian parts within the 232 scope pay the general 25%.[11][7] Our Section 232 guide tracks the rates, Chapter 99 lines and dates; we do not restate them here.
Separately, products of India pay a 10% Section 301 duty on goods entered for consumption on or after 12:01 a.m. eastern time on July 24, 2026, with the exceptions listed in the USTR notice.[10] The two do not stack: heading 9903.05.90 excepts from the 10% the passenger-vehicle and light-truck parts and the medium- and heavy-duty vehicle parts that pay Section 232, as provided in subdivision (f) of U.S. note 52.[7][10] So a part inside a 232 scope pays Column 1 plus 25%; a part outside it pays Column 1 plus 10%, unless another exception applies. Which side a part number falls on is the buyer's broker's determination from the 10-digit code and the Chapter 99 notes. The US tariffs on India guide tracks the full stack, and the tariff simulator gives a line-by-line estimate your buyer can check with its broker.
Antidumping and countervailing duty orders are product-specific, and two touch goods an Indian component or tire plant may make. Commerce's antidumping and countervailing duty orders on carbon and alloy steel threaded rod from India date from April 9, 2020 and were continued on June 26, 2025; the scope covers threaded rod, bar or studs of carbon or alloy steel with a solid circular cross section, non-headed and threaded along more than 25 percent of their length.[12][13] The antidumping and countervailing duty orders on certain new pneumatic off-the-road tires from India were continued on May 25, 2023; they cover agricultural, industrial and construction tire designations and exclude passenger car, light truck, trailer, motorcycle and truck and bus tires.[14] We do not quote case rates, and as of October 15, 2026 we found no order on Indian parts of heading 8708; your buyer's broker checks the scope of any order against the exact product before entry. Keep the material specification, the drawing and the end use on file for that question.
NHTSA and the DOT symbol: which parts are FMVSS equipment, and who files the HS-7
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration regulates motor vehicle equipment, and sets Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) for some of it. No person may import a motor vehicle or item of motor vehicle equipment unless, when it is offered for importation, its importer files a declaration, on paper or electronically in a format CBP accepts, stating the basis of entry; one basis is that the equipment item conforms with all applicable safety standards and bears a certification label or tag permanently affixed by its manufacturer to the item or its delivery container, another that the article is not a system, part or component of a motor vehicle.[15] That declaration is the HS-7 Declaration form, filed with CBP on paper or, when a customs broker makes the entry, through the Automated Broker Interface.[16] Your buyer or its broker files it. Separately, every foreign manufacturer of motor vehicle equipment must designate a permanent US resident as its agent for service of process before offering equipment for importation, and may not import until it has (49 CFR part 551, subpart D).[18]
The certification is written into each standard. Hydraulic brake hose must be marked DOT, a certification by the hose manufacturer, and with a manufacturer designation filed in writing with NHTSA's Office of Vehicle Safety Compliance (FMVSS No. 106). The lens of each original-equipment and replacement headlamp must be marked DOT (FMVSS No. 108). A prime glazing manufacturer certifies glazing with DOT and a code mark that NHTSA assigns on written request (FMVSS No. 205). New radial tires for vehicles of 10,000 lb GVWR or less must carry DOT and the tire identification number required by 49 CFR part 574 (FMVSS No. 139). Seat belt assemblies must be permanently marked with the year of manufacture, model and the name or trademark of the manufacturer or distributor, or of the importer if made outside the United States (FMVSS No. 209).[19] Manufacturers of covered equipment, meaning equipment other than tires to which a safety standard applies, must give NHTSA their name, address and a description of each type of equipment, through the vPIC portal or in writing, within 30 days of starting manufacture, and keep it current (49 CFR part 566).[17] Tire makers apply in writing for a three-symbol plant code, which leads the tire identification number molded (or partly laser-etched) on the sidewall, and the tire manufacturer or brand-name owner must provide tire registration forms to its distributors and dealers (49 CFR part 574).[20]
Many parts an Indian component plant exports, such as castings, forgings, machined shafts, gears, pistons, filters, radiators and body panels, have no safety standard of their own and carry no DOT mark; how they are declared at entry is the buyer's broker's call. The parts that are FMVSS equipment, brake hoses, lamps and reflective devices, tires, glazing and seat belt assemblies, cannot be fixed at the US port: a headlamp without the DOT lens mark, or brake hose without a filed manufacturer designation, does not meet its standard when it lands. Settle the certification question with your buyer at the sample stage, and send the part 566 confirmation, the DOT marking drawing and, for tires, the plant code letter with the first order. The US import rules for Indian exporters guide covers the other agency gates.
EPA engine declarations, CPSC and the country-of-origin mark
EPA's import rules are written for vehicles and engines. Under CBP's regulation, importers of motor vehicles submit an EPA declaration at entry: Form 3520-21 for heavy-duty motor vehicle engines, whether installed in a vehicle or imported loose, and Form 3520-1 for all other motor vehicles, filed in ACE or on paper, with supporting documents kept for at least five years.[21] EPA's own rule adds that engines subject to EPA emission standards must generally be covered by a certificate of conformity, and the importer completes the appropriate EPA declaration before importing them.[22] If you export complete engines, loose or as replacement units, your buyer needs the engine's emission certification or exemption basis from you before the shipment leaves. Parts that are not engines are not named in these declaration rules; whether an emission-related component carries any other EPA obligation is a question for your buyer's broker and EPA, settled in the purchase order.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission does not regulate most auto parts. The Consumer Product Safety Act's definition of consumer product excludes motor vehicles or motor vehicle equipment as defined in 49 U.S.C. 30102, at 15 U.S.C. 2052(a)(5)(C).[23] A part sold for use on a vehicle therefore sits with NHTSA, not CPSC; accessories that are not motor vehicle equipment are a different matter and your buyer's broker decides case by case.
Unless an exception applies, every part, or its container, needs a country-of-origin mark. Section 304 of the Tariff Act of 1930 requires every article of foreign origin, or its container, to be marked in a conspicuous place as legibly, indelibly and permanently as the nature of the article permits, with the English name of the country of origin for the ultimate purchaser in the United States; where an article is excepted, its container must be marked unless the container is excepted too.[24] CBP's regulation says marking is best worked into the article at the time of manufacture, and suggests that on metal articles it be die sunk, molded in or etched.[24] A MADE IN INDIA mark cast into the pattern or stamped by the die survives machining and painting; a sticker may not. Agree the mark location on the drawing with your buyer; its broker confirms whether any exception applies.
Packaging and container loading for auto parts: rust, ISPM-15, 20-foot boxes and LCL
Auto parts are machined metal, and the enemy on a four- to six-week ocean move is condensation. Pack bare machined surfaces in VCI (vapor corrosion inhibitor) film or paper, or oil and wrap them, with desiccant in sealed liners for finished components. Castings and forgings travel in crates or on pallets with corner boards; fasteners, bearings and small aftermarket parts in cartons on pallets, stretch-wrapped and strapped. Load heavy crates low, block and brace so nothing can shift, and fill voids. The factory stuffing, CFS and ICD guide covers who stuffs where; container seal and cargo cut-off are in the glossary.
Every piece of wood in the box is regulated. The General Notes to Export Policy allow export of goods packed with wood packaging material such as pallets, dunnage, crating, packing blocks, drums, cases, load boards, pallet collars and skids only subject to compliance with the International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures.[2] On the US side, APHIS requires regulated wood packaging material to be treated and certified under ISPM 15, and a stamp that is illegible or does not comply makes the packaging noncompliant; plywood, oriented strand board, hardboard, plastic pallets and metal frames are not subject to the rule.[6] Buy pallets, crates and dunnage from an accredited treatment provider, photograph the marks before the doors close, and see ISPM-15 in the glossary.
Dense castings and forgings fill a container by weight long before they fill it by volume, so they ship in 20-foot boxes. Federal law limits a vehicle on the US Interstate System to 80,000 lb gross vehicle weight, 20,000 lb on a single axle and 34,000 lb on tandem axles, with the Bridge Formula lowering the allowance for some axle spacings.[26] The tractor, chassis and container tare count toward that gross, so agree the target cargo weight per 20-foot box with your forwarder before you plan crates; the India to USA lane guide explains why the same load can be legal to one US city and overweight to another. Light, bulky parts such as radiators, bumpers, body panels and exhaust systems fill 40-foot boxes by volume; plan the mix with the container load calculator and declare the verified gross mass from a weighbridge ticket.
Aftermarket orders are often mixed: a few pallets of brake parts, filters and lamps for a US distributor. Those usually move as LCL, crated or shrink-wrapped and strapped to survive the extra handling at the CFS at each end; loose heavy castings do not consolidate well. OEM programs with a steady volume run as FCL, often from a factory-stuffed box. Compare the two in the LCL vs FCL from India guide. Airlift arranges FCL ocean freight and LCL consolidation from its Indian branches, and air freight for line-down emergencies; check chargeable weight before you quote an air option.
Documents for an auto-parts shipment: part numbers, the OEM/aftermarket flag and the ISF
The export declaration is the Shipping Bill, filed electronically on ICEGATE by you or your customs broker (CHA); the Shipping Bill and ICEGATE guide covers the filing and the export documents checklist lists every paper. What changes for auto parts is granularity. Write the commercial invoice by part number, with a description an officer can picture ("brake disc, cast iron, for passenger cars", not "auto parts"), the 6-digit HS code, quantity and unit, and a flag per line for OEM or aftermarket and new or remanufactured. Write the packing list by part number and crate, with net and gross weights and the container and seal numbers. Give FMVSS equipment and engines their own invoice lines so the HS-7 or EPA declaration can be tied to them.
Your buyer's Importer Security Filing is built from your documents. The manufacturer (or supplier), country of origin and HTS number must be linked at the line-item level for each good, with the HTS number to at least six digits, and those elements are due no later than 24 hours before the cargo is laden aboard the vessel at the foreign port.[25] That is why the invoice and packing list have to be final before the container gates in. Airlift files the ISF as the NVOCC and arranges the US customs entry through licensed customs brokers; our ISF service explains what we need from you and when. Provide a certificate of origin when the buyer, its bank or the letter of credit calls for one.
Keep in the shipment file: material test certificates and drawings for any AD/CVD scope question, the part 566 confirmation and DOT marking drawings for FMVSS equipment, the tire plant code letter, the engine emission certification, the ISPM-15 treatment certificate, the weighbridge ticket, and photographs of the load and the sealed doors. For a US buyer new to importing, send the automotive parts and accessories commodity guide, written for the buyer's side, with your quote.
| Part family | HS heading | US agency gate | Form filed by the importer | Packaging |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Castings, forgings, machined housings, body panels, bumpers | 8708.10, 8708.29, 8708.99 and others[7] | None beyond CBP; country-of-origin mark cast or stamped in[24] | No FMVSS certification; any HS-7 basis is the broker's call[15] | ISPM-15 crates or pallets, VCI wrap; 20-foot for dense loads[2][26] |
| Brake discs, drums, calipers, pads | 8708.30[7] | None for the metal parts; brake hose is FMVSS equipment (No. 106)[19] | HS-7; hose declared as conforming, DOT-marked equipment[15] | Crates or pallets, discs in VCI, pads in cartons |
| Gear boxes, drive axles, clutches, steering parts | 8708.40, 8708.50, 8708.93, 8708.94[7] | None beyond CBP; Section 232 scope check by the broker[8] | No FMVSS certification; any HS-7 basis is the broker's call[15] | Heavy crates, braced; 20-foot boxes |
| Engine parts (pistons, valves, liners), crankshafts, bearings, gears | 8409, 8483[7] | None for parts; EPA applies to engines[21][22] | None for parts; EPA 3520-1 or 3520-21 for engines, as applicable[21] | VCI film or oil-and-wrap, sealed liners, pallets or crates |
| Lamps, reflectors, headlamps | 8512[7] | NHTSA: FMVSS No. 108; DOT on the lens[19] | HS-7, conforming equipment with certification mark[15] | Cartons with dividers on pallets; 40-foot by volume |
| Starter motors, ignition, switches, relays, wiring | 8511, 8536[7] | None beyond CBP for most items; check whether an FMVSS applies[19] | No FMVSS certification; any HS-7 basis is the broker's call[15] | Cartons on pallets, desiccant |
| Nuts, bolts, screws, studs, threaded rod | 7318[7] | AD/CVD scope check (steel threaded rod from India orders)[13] | None beyond the entry; broker checks scope[13] | Cartons or bags on pallets, strapped; dense, so 20-foot |
| New pneumatic tires | 4011[7] | NHTSA: FMVSS No. 139, DOT symbol and TIN; part 574 plant code; off-the-road tires: AD/CVD scope check[19][20][14] | HS-7, conforming equipment[15] | Loose-loaded or on pallets; 40-foot by volume |
| Safety seat belts, windshields and glazing | 8708.21, 8708.22[7] | NHTSA: FMVSS No. 209 marking; FMVSS No. 205 DOT and code mark[19] | HS-7, conforming equipment[15] | Belts in cartons; glass in A-frame crates, edges protected |