India bans export of lithium-ion battery black mass to keep critical minerals at home

India has banned the export of lithium-ion battery "black mass", the powder obtained from shredding old batteries, to keep the recoverable metals inside the country, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) said.

Notification No. 49/2026-27, dated 10 November 2026, moves the item from "Free" to "Prohibited" with immediate effect and until further orders. Black mass falls under ITC(HS) code 85491400, which covers unsorted waste and scrap of spent batteries that contain no lead, cadmium or mercury.

Why

Black mass contains recoverable lithium, cobalt, nickel and manganese, which the DGFT notes are essential for electric vehicles, advanced chemistry cell batteries, energy storage, electronics and renewable energy. India depends substantially on imports for several of these minerals, and recycling battery waste is, it says, among the quickest and most sustainable ways to build a domestic supply.

The DGFT says India's capacity to recycle battery waste and refine critical minerals from it has grown considerably but is not being fully used because of a shortage of feedstock. The transitional arrangements under Para 1.05 of the Foreign Trade Policy 2023 apply.

See BDT's report on the Cabinet's ₹2,814 crore scheme for lithium and nickel processing.

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Source: official release by the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, issued through the Press Information Bureau, Government of India (11 NOV 2026 4:07PM by PIB Delhi). Read the full official text: DGFT prohibits export of Lithium-Ion Battery Black Mass to strengthen domestic recycling and critical mineral recovery.