The AIIFA Sustainable Steel Manufacturers Association has achieved a key victory for India’s secondary long steelmakers, prompting the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) to defer a new amendment requiring BIS certification for all semi-finished steel used for domestic production. The directive, implemented abruptly, raised significant concerns among induction furnace (IF) and electric arc furnace (EAF) producers, whose processes face challenges in meeting the certification standards.

India’s secondary producers, contributing over 50 million tonnes of long steel annually, were caught off guard by the BIS move and the proposed revision of BIS 1786. The AIIFA responded swiftly, forming regional committees to collect member feedback, which was consolidated and presented to Consumer Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi by a central committee led by Nitin Kabra.

Following the meeting, Joshi directed BIS to temporarily exempt long product producers while AIIFA compiles further technical evidence. He also called for detailed studies by Indian institutes and discouraged non-BIS-compliant tenders. The deadline for objections has been extended.

AIIFA underscored the need for a science-based, consultative framework and warned against adopting foreign standards without local research. The association continues its collaboration with institutions like IIT Bombay and IIT Roorkee to support informed revisions.