Learn / Export Scrap Metal: Canada to India
India's steel industry is short millions of tonnes of scrap a year, and the gap is getting wider, not narrower. Here's what a Canadian exporter actually needs to do on both ends, including a classification most sellers don't see coming.
India consumes roughly 41 to 45 million tonnes of steel scrap a year but only generates about 32 million tonnes domestically, and that gap is set to widen sharply as electric arc furnace steelmaking grows from about 15% to 50% of the country's output by 2030. Canada is one of the world's established scrap-exporting economies, with the recycling infrastructure and volume to help fill that gap.
Canada's Cross-border Movement of Hazardous Waste and Hazardous Recyclable Material Regulations capture iron, steel, copper, nickel, aluminium, zinc, and tin scrap, even though none of it feels like "hazardous waste" in the everyday sense. Assume it applies until you've confirmed otherwise.
This has to happen before you ship, not after. The notification doubles as your application for an export permit, so build the lead time into your schedule.
A movement document has to accompany the material from the moment it leaves origin until it's recycled at the other end, covering the entire chain, not just the export leg.
Issued by India's Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT); without it, your buyer legally can't complete the import.
India generally requires a PSIC for metal scrap imports. Some origin countries and ports carry exemptions, don't assume Canadian shipments automatically qualify for the same exemption US-origin shipments currently get; confirm your specific status before you ship.
No hazardous, toxic, or radioactive material, and no arms, ammunition, or explosive residue. This gets checked on arrival, so it has to be right before departure.
The XBR notification and permit process is the step Canadian exporters most often underestimate, treat it as a lead-time item, not a formality. This guide covers general ferrous and non-ferrous metal scrap; e-waste follows a separate, stricter set of international rules under the Basel Convention. Confirm current requirements before committing to a shipment rather than relying on any single guide, including this one.
A completed XBR notification gets your shipment to the border. It doesn't tell you whether the buyer on the other end is legitimate or whether payment will actually clear. ScrapTrade verifies Indian buyer accounts before they can trade and holds payment in escrow until delivery is confirmed, covering the part the paperwork can't. Check today's reference prices before you agree to a rate.
India's scrap consumption is on track to hit roughly 41 to 45 million tonnes annually in FY2026, against domestic generation of around 32 million tonnes, a gap of roughly 9 million tonnes a year that's projected to widen to 20 to 30 million tonnes by 2030 as electric arc furnace capacity keeps expanding. Canada is an established scrap-exporting economy with the volume to help fill that gap.
For regulatory purposes, often yes. Canada's Cross-border Movement of Hazardous Waste and Hazardous Recyclable Material Regulations capture most common metal scrap categories, iron, steel, copper, nickel, aluminium, zinc, tin, even though it isn't hazardous in the everyday sense. It's a classification quirk that catches first-time exporters off guard, which is exactly why it's worth checking before you assume your shipment is exempt.
Not automatically. India's inspection exemptions are tied to specific origin countries and ports. Confirm the current status for Canada-origin shipments directly rather than assuming the US exemption extends to you.
Large and growing. India's steel industry is targeting 300 million tonnes of crude steel capacity by 2030, with electric arc furnaces rising from roughly 15% to 50% of that output. That single shift alone could add tens of millions of tonnes of annual scrap demand on top of the gap that already exists today.
Listing on ScrapTrade puts your material in front of verified Indian buyers directly, with escrow holding payment until delivery is confirmed, which matters more on a cross-border deal than almost anywhere else. Check today's reference prices before you agree to a rate.
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