Top 50 Chinese Products Imported to India: 2026 Guide

Source: Trading Economics - India Imports from China

There are many types of products to import from China to India. Taking into account the data and trends, 2026 and beyond can present several opportunities for small business owners in India to select the right products to import from China.

In this section, we will look into the top 8 Chinese product categories most imported to India in 2024.

Electrical and electronic equipment, including a wide range of consumer electronics, remains India’s top import from China, with imports reaching about USD 47.67 billion in 2024. These imports continue to underpin India’s electronics supply chain, particularly for components used in the production of mobile phones and other electronic devices that are not yet produced domestically at a sufficient scale.

This category includes a wide range of electronic products imported from China, including:

• Electrical apparatus for line telephony or line telegraphy 
• Electronic integrated circuits and microassemblies
• Diodes, transistors, and similar semiconductor devices
• Records, tapes, and other recorded media
• Electric accumulators, including batteries
• Electrical transformers, static converters, and inductors
• Microphones, loudspeakers, and headphones
• Electrical apparatus for switching or protecting electrical circuits
• Printed circuits
• Parts for television, radio, and radar apparatus

In Budget 2026, the government signalled a push to reduce reliance on imports, with reduced tariffs on selected electronic inputs and increased support for local manufacturing.

For a business owner, this means lower costs on some electronic components for a period of time and more competition from Indian manufacturers over time. It’s a good chance to improve margins now, while also planning for the future.

Machinery, including electrical machinery, is the second-largest import category from China to India, with imports rising to around USD 27 billion in 2024. The increase reflects sustained demand for industrial equipment and mechanical components that support manufacturing, construction, and infrastructure activity.

China supplies a wide range of machinery and mechanical components to Indian manufacturers, including:

• Automatic data processing machines, magnetic or optical readers
• Parts and accessories of typewriters and calculating machines
• Machines and mechanical appliances with individual functions
• Air or vacuum pumps, air or other gas compressors
• Parts of pulley tackle, derricks, cranes, and lifts
• Transmission shafts, cranks, bearing housings, gears, and clutches
• Derricks, cranes, and mobile lifting frames
• Printing machinery and ancillary printing machines

Organic chemicals remain one of the most important import categories from China, even as total imports declined from USD 13.27 billion in 2023 to USD 11.12 billion in 2024. These imports are closely linked to India’s pharmaceutical and life sciences supply chain, where chemical intermediates are essential inputs.

India’s pharmaceutical sector is the world’s largest supplier of generic medicines and accounts for more than 60% of global vaccine supply, a scale of production that continues to rely on imported chemical inputs.

Among the organic chemicals most commonly sourced from China are:

• Heterocyclic compounds with nitrogen, nucleic acids, their salts
• Antibiotics
• Saturated acyclic monocarboxylic acids and their derivatives
• Oxygen-function amino compounds
• Polycarboxylic acids and their derivatives
• Amine-function compounds
• Other heterocyclic compounds
• Unsaturated acyclic or cyclic monocarboxylic acids and derivatives

Plastics remain a major import category from China, with imports reaching approximately USD 6.29 billion in 2024. These imports are primarily made up of polymers and semi-finished plastic raw materials used across packaging, manufacturing, and consumer goods production, where low-cost inputs are critical to maintaining margins.

The scale of these imports reflects the breadth of India’s plastics processing sector, which supports downstream industries ranging from household goods to industrial components.

Imports in this category are concentrated mainly in the following plastic materials and intermediates:

• Polymers of vinyl chloride or other halogenated olefins
• Other plates, sheets, film, foil, strips of plastic (non-cellular)
• Polyethers, epoxides & polyesters, primary forms
• Other articles of plastics
• Self-adhesive plates, sheets, film, foil, tape, strip, of plastics
• Polyamides in primary forms

Iron and steel products continue to feature among India’s imports from China, with imports reaching approximately USD 2.99 billion in 2024. These imports are concentrated in flat-rolled and alloy steel products used in industrial and manufacturing applications.

Imports are mainly focused on the following iron and steel product types:

• Flat-roll stainless steel products
• Flat-rolled products of iron/non-alloy steel, hot-rolled
• Flat-rolled products of other alloy steel
• Flat-rolled products of iron/non-alloy steel, clad
• Other bars and rods
• Flat-rolled products of other alloy steel

In response to rising imports of steel products, the Government of India imposed a three-year safeguard duty on select steel imports, including those from China, effective from December 2025. Under this measure, the tariff starts at 12% in the first year, tapers to 11.5% in the second year, and then to 11% in the third year, as part of a strategy to protect the domestic steel industry from cheap foreign competition.

Imports of pearls, precious stones, and precious metals from China reached approximately USD 2.88 billion in 2024. The category is dominated by silver and gold in unwrought or semi-manufactured forms, which are used across jewellery manufacturing, investment products, and selected industrial applications.

This category is primarily made up of the following precious metals and materials:

• Silver (unwrought, semi-manufactured, or powder form)
• Gold (unwrought, semi-manufactured, or powder form)
• Synthetic or reconstructed precious or semi-precious stones

Imports of optical, technical, and medical apparatus from China totalled approximately USD 2.85 billion in 2024. These products are widely used across healthcare services, diagnostics, laboratory research, and industrial testing environments.

The most significant imports within this category cover the following types of equipment:

• Instruments and appliances used in medical, surgical, dental, or veterinary fields
• Other measuring or checking instruments and machines
• Instruments and apparatus for physical or chemical analysis
• Apparatus for the use of X-rays or alpha, beta, or gamma radiations
• Automatic regulating or controlling instruments and apparatus
• Instruments and apparatus for measuring or checking liquids or gases

Articles of iron or steel accounted for approximately USD 2.19 billion of India’s imports from China in 2024. This category covers finished and semi-finished metal products that are typically used directly in construction, manufacturing, utilities, and household applications rather than as primary steel inputs.

Commonly imported articles of iron or steel include:

• Tubes, pipes, and hollow profiles
• Articles of iron or steel (not specified elsewhere)
• Screws, bolts, nuts, coach screws, screw hocks, and rivets

While some high-demand import categories may seem more suitable for larger businesses, there are plenty of products within those and other related categories that small businesses can successfully import and generate a solid return on investment.

If you're a small business owner, here's a curated list of top profitable product categories to import from China to India:

• Electronics Gadgets and Smartphone Accessories: India’s electronics market continues to expand, with domestic electronics production projected to reach USD 300 billion by 2026, highlighting growing device adoption and accessory demand, from chargers and cables to earbuds and power banks, that small importers can tap into. 
• Automotive Accessories: The Indian automotive accessories and parts market was valued at approximately USD 3.39 billion in 2024 and is expected to grow to USD 4.75 billion by 2030, driven by rising vehicle ownership and increasing demand for aftermarket components such as lighting, sensors, and interior accessories.
• Kitchenware and Household Items: India’s kitchenware market was estimated at around USD 6.30 billion in 2024 and is expected to reach USD 11.3 billion by 2033, with sustained consumer demand for everyday cookware, utensils, storage solutions, and small home accessories, positioning this segment as a high-potential niche for small importers focusing on competitively priced products sourced from China.
• Home Décor and Furniture Components: The broader home furniture and décor market in India is estimated to be worth around USD 25 billion as of 2024, with growth driven by rising urbanisation, disposable incomes, and ecommerce adoption, creating opportunities for small businesses to import decorative lighting, wall décor, small furniture elements, and complementary fittings from China.

If you're a business owner in India looking to import products from China, you may want to consider some of these tips before starting to import products from China.

Before you start importing Chinese goods to India, you should first understand the regulations set forth by India's Country Commercial Guide. This will help you avoid unnecessary fees, penalties, or compliance issues.

Here are some processes to ensure:

• Your business should be properly registered as a legal entity in India
• You should have a valid GST registration, which is mandatory for importing goods into India.
• You should have applied for an Importer-Exporter Code (IEC) issued by the Director-General of Foreign Trade in India. This code is required for all import and export activities in India.
• Check if your products require Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) certification, as many imports need it before sale in India. The main types include the CRS (Compulsory Registration Scheme) for electrical and IT products and the FMCS (Foreign Manufacturers Certification Scheme) for a wider range of goods manufactured outside of India.

Once these steps are completed, you can move forward with the import. Failure to comply may result in fines, seizure of goods, or other legal actions.

Selecting the right supplier and verifying product quality can have a direct impact on your total import costs. Reliable suppliers reduce the risk of defects, delays, rework, and disputes that often lead to unexpected expenses.

Before placing large or repeat orders, businesses should focus on the following checks:

• Supplier credibility: Review the supplier’s history and customer feedback on sourcing platforms or trade directories.
• Production and compliance standards: Confirm whether the supplier holds relevant certifications or complies with product standards required for sale in India.
• Request samples: Assess quality, specifications, and consistency before committing to bulk orders.
• Pre-shipment inspection: For higher-value or sensitive goods, third-party inspections can help identify quality issues before goods leave China, reducing the risk of costly returns or disputes.

Some Indian businesses structure their China imports through a Hong Kong company to simplify supplier engagement, payment flows, and import-export administration. Hong Kong operates under a separate legal and tax system from mainland China and is widely used as a regional hub for international trade across Asia.

In practice, a Hong Kong setup can make importing from China more straightforward by acting as a neutral contracting and payment layer between Indian buyers and Chinese suppliers.

From an Indian business perspective, this can matter because:

• Hong Kong is a free port, meaning goods can be bought and sold without incurring import or export duties in Hong Kong itself. This allows Indian companies to use Hong Kong purely as a trading and invoicing base without additional customs layers.
• India and Hong Kong have a Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA), which provides clarity on how profits earned through a Hong Kong trading company are taxed, reducing uncertainty around double taxation when structuring cross-border trade.
• Hong Kong applies a territorial profits tax system, under which only profits arising in or derived from Hong Kong are taxable. If certain criteria are met and the profit-generating activities are conducted outside Hong Kong, a company may be eligible to claim an offshore tax exemption.
• Hong Kong has a mature multi-currency banking system, which can help businesses manage FX exposure and reduce cross-border payment and conversion costs, which can make Chinese imports more cost-effective over time.

For businesses importing regularly from China, setting up a Hong Kong company is one of the structures commonly used to support trade operations. When done correctly, this setup can simplify supplier engagement, payment flows, and overall trade management.

Statrys helps businesses put this structure in place by offering Hong Kong company incorporation and a business account in one solution. The entire setup can be completed 100% online, with no need to travel to Hong Kong. This allows business owners to manage their China imports and international payments through a single, streamlined platform.

If you are looking to build a more efficient structure for importing from China, a Hong Kong company setup supported by Statrys can be a practical starting point.