India blocks battery waste exports to recover more lithium, nickel and cobalt at home

India has banned the export of lithium-ion battery black mass with immediate effect, according to a notification issued by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) on November 10.

The export policy for the material under ITC (HS) code 85491400 has been changed from “Free” to “Prohibited” until further orders, the notification said.

The code covers waste and scrap from primary cells, batteries and electric accumulators, including spent cells and batteries that are unsorted and do not contain lead, cadmium or mercury. The notification specifically identifies lithium-ion battery black mass under this category.


The government issued the order under the Foreign Trade (Development & Regulation) Act, 1992, and the Foreign Trade Policy, 2023. Transitional arrangements under the trade policy will apply.

The Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) said India recorded no exports under this tariff code in FY2026. However, the ban could prevent future shipments and ensure that black mass remains available to domestic refiners, it said.

Black mass is a dark powder produced when used lithium-ion batteries or battery-manufacturing scrap is shredded and larger pieces of metal and plastic are removed. Depending on the type of battery, the powder can contain recoverable quantities of lithium, nickel, cobalt and graphite.

According to GTRI, India has greater black-mass processing capacity than the amount of material generated domestically. This has left refiners short of raw material. Processing more black mass within the country could help recover critical minerals and reduce battery manufacturers’ dependence on imports, the think tank said.

GTRI also pointed to environmental and enforcement concerns. Black mass may contain toxic electrolyte residues and heavy metals that require further treatment. Shipments of such hazardous material require prior permission under waste-management rules.

However, exporters may attempt to avoid scrutiny by declaring black mass as cobalt powder, a nickel intermediate or another industrial product, GTRI said.

Effective enforcement will therefore require Customs authorities to examine how the material was produced, in addition to checking how it has been declared. A change in the product description or tariff code could otherwise conceal the movement of the same waste material, it said.