How to import chemicals from India, step by step

1. Write the specification

List the product, the grade and every parameter your process depends on, with a limit for each. This is what every later step is checked against.

2. Ask your broker what your import requires

Before you contact suppliers, find out from your customs broker what your country requires for this product. You will send that list with every enquiry.

3. Verify the supplier

Check the Indian registrations on the government record: the GSTIN, the Importer-Exporter Code and, for a company, the Corporate Identity Number. See how to verify an Indian chemical manufacturer.

4. Get a written quotation on your Incoterm

Send the product and grade, quantity, destination port, Incoterm and your specification. Ask for the quotation on the Incoterm you actually buy on, so it can be compared with other offers on the same basis.

5. Test a sample

Test a sample independently against your specification, and keep part of it sealed as a reference.

6. Agree the documents and the remedy

Confirm in writing which documents the supplier will issue, and what happens if the consignment is off specification. See the sample passed but the bulk was different.

7. Check the consignment on arrival

Match the batch number on the bags to the certificate of analysis, check the documents agree with each other, and test the first consignment before it goes into production.

Mistakes that cost importers the most

• Comparing an ex-works price with a delivered one. The cheaper-looking quotation often leaves the freight out.
• Ordering by trade name alone. The same name can cover several grades or hydrates. Order by name, grade and CAS number together.
• Skipping the sample. A sample test costs little next to a consignment that will not work in production.
• Checking the documents only on arrival. A discrepancy found before the goods sail is an email. Found at the port, it is a delay.
• Making the first order the biggest. With a new supplier, a smaller first order keeps the risk proportionate while you confirm consistency.

Importing from Taskon

Taskon Industries manufactures 56 products in Ahmedabad and is a DGFT-registered exporter, IEC AALCT7695Q. We quote consignments to fifteen Asian markets, send the signed MSDS with the quotation and a batch certificate of analysis with the consignment. Standard packing is 50 kg net in HDPE bags. See the export overview.