HS Code for Brake Pads in India: Mounted vs Unmounted, Bikes and Cars

Brake pads are a steady product for auto parts traders. The code question looks simple, but importers often ask me why the same pad can sit in two completely different chapters. The answer is one small detail: whether the friction material is fixed to its backing plate.

Here's how I'd work it out.

The usual HS code: 8708 30 00

A normal disc brake pad for a car is friction material bonded to a steel backing plate, ready to fit into the caliper. That makes it a finished brake part for a motor vehicle, so it goes under 8708 30. The same applies to brake shoes for drum brakes where the lining is already fixed to the shoe.

Why not 6813?

This is the classic confusion. Heading 6813 covers friction material and articles of it, including brake linings and pads, but only when they are not mounted. So if you import loose friction blocks, rolls or sheets of lining to fix onto plates in India, 6813 is usually right (6813 81 for non-asbestos types).

Once the lining is fixed to a backing plate or shoe, it's treated as a vehicle part. Suppliers sometimes use 6813 on the invoice for finished pads, and that can get questioned.

The other mistake is the type of vehicle. Heading 8708 only covers parts for motor vehicles of headings 8701 to 8705 (cars, trucks, buses, tractors). Brake pads for motorcycles and scooters go under 8714 10, and pads for bicycles under 8714 94. Railway brake blocks go to chapter 86.

What decides the final code

• Mounted or loose: pads on a backing plate are vehicle parts; loose friction material is 6813.
• Vehicle type: cars and trucks 8708 30; two-wheelers 8714 10; bicycles 8714 94.
• Asbestos content: matters for 6813 (asbestos and non-asbestos lines are separate) and for buyer acceptance.
• Complete brake assemblies: calipers, discs and drums are also 8708 30, but check each item on a mixed invoice.

How import duty is worked out

Duty is calculated on the assessable value (CIF in rupees): Basic Customs Duty, then the Social Welfare Surcharge on that duty, then IGST on the total. Auto parts duty in India changes through Budget notifications, so check the current rate for 8708 30 00 when you file.

Run your exact pad through a lookup, or put your numbers into the free import duty calculator.

Compliance checklist for brake pads

🔴 Mandatory · 🟠 Check · 🟢 Not required

Mistakes that cost importers money

• Accepting 6813 from the supplier for finished pads on backing plates.
• Mixing car and two-wheeler pads on one line under 8708.
• Importing "OE-look" pads with brand logos without authorisation.
• No part numbers or vehicle model list on the invoice, which makes it hard to prove what the pads fit.

My advice

Brake pads come in hundreds of part numbers, so make a clean list of each with its vehicle type and whether it's mounted. Once that's sorted, the code is easy. Brakes are a safety part, so stay close to what BIS is doing for automotive components.