Sector playbook
Handicrafts and handlooms exporters: the four things you are leaving on the table.
Handicrafts carries the highest average RoDTEP rates of any sector (3.0 to 4.0 percent) but also the smallest exporter base aware of scheme stacking. Many Jaipur and Saharanpur exporters file shipping bills without ever generating a RoDTEP scrip.
- Sector export value, FY 24-25
- Rs 32,400 crore (FY 2024-25)
- Avg RoDTEP rate
- 3.2%
- RoSCTL stacking
- Not applicable
- HS chapters covered
- 44, 46, 57, 58, 94, 96
Top 12 HS codes in this sector
Sorted by RoDTEP rate. Click through for the detailed page on each code.
| HS code | Description | RoDTEP | Drawback | GST refund |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 570110 | Hand-knotted carpets of wool | 3.80% | 1.75% | 0.5% |
| 461292 | Specific plaiting materials wrought together for ornaments | 3.60% | 1.55% | 0.5% |
| 580500 | Hand-woven tapestries (Gobelins, Beauvais, Aubusson, etc.) | 3.50% | 1.50% | 0.5% |
| 442010 | Statuettes and other ornaments of wood | 3.50% | 1.50% | 0.5% |
| 461290 | Other plaiting materials worked into mats, matting and screens | 3.50% | 1.50% | 0.5% |
| 460290 | Basketwork, wickerwork and other articles | 3.30% | 1.45% | 0.5% |
| 442190 | Other articles of wood | 3.20% | 1.45% | 0.5% |
| 940380 | Furniture of other materials (cane, rattan, bamboo) | 3.10% | 1.45% | 0.5% |
| 570310 | Tufted carpets of wool | 3.00% | 1.45% | 0.5% |
| 940360 | Other wooden furniture | 2.80% | 1.30% | 0.5% |
| 961380 | Other lighters and ignitions, n.e.s. | 1.80% | 0.85% | 0.5% |
| 961700 | Vacuum flasks and other vacuum vessels | 1.70% | 0.80% | 0.5% |
Quirks of this sector that cost exporters money
- 01EPCH and Handloom Export Promotion Council have overlapping but distinct schemes.
- 02Geographical Indication (GI) tagged products carry additional protection in destination market disputes.
- 03Many handicrafts misclassified under generic chapter 94 codes when more specific codes carry higher RoDTEP.
- 04Districts as Export Hubs flagship programmes are most generous in handicraft districts (Moradabad, Bhadohi, Saharanpur).
- 05Market Access Initiative (MAI) covers trade fair participation costs for cluster groups. Most artisan clusters under-utilise it.
Schemes that apply
Three illustrative cases from this sector
Names redacted at customer request. Recovery numbers from FY 2024-25 audits.
Rs 18,20,000 annual
Moradabad brass, 28 cr turnover
Brass handicrafts were being filed under chapter 74 (low rate) when more specific chapter 96 codes carried 3.5 to 3.8 percent. Reclassification across 240 bills recovered 1.7 percentage points.
Rs 12,40,000 annual
Bhadohi carpets, 19 cr turnover
Hand-knotted wool carpets HS 570110 carries 3.8 percent, but the firm was filing under tufted HS 570310 (3.0 percent). The 0.8 point swing across the year added up.
Rs 6,80,000 annual
Jaipur stone craft, 11 cr turnover
DEH (Districts as Export Hubs) flagship product status had been notified for Jaipur stone, with infrastructure grants attached. The firm was unaware.
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