India has prohibited the export of lithium-ion battery black mass with immediate effect, moving the category from 'Free' to 'Prohibited' in a Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) notification dated November 10, 2026. The ban, issued under the Foreign Trade (Development and Regulation) Act, 1992, will remain in force until further orders, ANI reported.

Source: ANI via NewKerala

Notification No. 49/2026-27 amends the export policy for ITC (HS) Code 85491400 — waste and scrap of primary cells, primary batteries and electric accumulators, and spent primary cells, batteries and accumulators, unsorted and not containing lead, cadmium or mercury — which the notification identifies as lithium-ion battery black mass. Transitional arrangements under Paragraph 1.05 of the Foreign Trade Policy 2023 will apply to trade commitments covered by that provision.

Source: DGFT Notification 49/2026-27 via Voltgrid News

49/2026-27DGFT notification number
85491400ITC (HS) code covered
Free to ProhibitedExport policy change

Black mass is the dark powder left when end-of-life lithium-ion batteries and battery-factory scrap are shredded. It contains valuable critical metals that recyclers extract and refine. Inc42 reported that the new policy aims to promote local sourcing of such metals through domestic processing and refining of black mass, keeping the feedstock inside India's fast-growing EV and battery-recycling supply chain instead of shipping it overseas.

Source: Inc42

The order is narrow: it covers only the specified unsorted category under the one tariff code and does not impose a blanket ban on exports of all batteries or battery-related materials, ANI's report noted. Exporters who shipped the material freely until November 10 must now keep it in India unless the DGFT amends the entry again.

Source: ANI via NewKerala

The ban follows the Union Cabinet's Rs 2,814 crore capital-support scheme, approved earlier this month, to promote domestic critical-mineral processing — a push to cut dependence on imported lithium, nickel and other battery metals as EV adoption grows. No volume data for black-mass exports accompanied the notification, and no customs enforcement circular had been reported by Wednesday.

Source: ANI via NewKerala