Engineering goods export from India hit an all-time high of $122.43 billion in FY2025-26, up about 5% on the year and the third straight record. That number is now close to 28% of everything India ships abroad, which makes engineering the country's single largest export category by a wide margin, ahead of petroleum, gems and jewellery, pharma or textiles. For anyone selling auto parts, pumps, castings or switchgear, the takeaway is blunt: the buyers are out there, and in most target markets the data to find them is public.
The 30-second version
- $122.43 billion in FY2025-26, a record, and close to 28% of India's total merchandise exports.
- Three record years running: $109.3B (FY24), $116.67B (FY25), then $122.43B (FY26).
- The USA is the top buyer at about $19.15 billion, ahead of the UAE and Saudi Arabia; the top five markets take 36% of shipments.
- It spans HS chapters 72, 73, 84, 85 and 87: iron and steel, machinery, electricals and auto components.
- EEPC India is the official promotion council, and the sector is chasing a $250 billion target by 2030.
How big is engineering goods export from India in 2026?
Engineering goods export from India reached a record $122.43 billion in FY2025-26, growing about 5% over the previous year (Prokerala/EEPC). It is India's biggest export segment, worth close to 28% of all merchandise exports, more than pharmaceuticals, textiles or gems and jewellery combined in most months.
The climb has been steady, not a spike. Exports rose from $109.3 billion in FY2023-24 to $116.67 billion in FY2024-25 and then $122.43 billion in FY2025-26 (Maritime Gateway). Monthly momentum held up too: shipments crossed $10 billion in a single month for the first time in July 2025 and reached $10.94 billion in March 2026. Over the past twelve years the sector has expanded roughly 75% (EEPC India).
What counts as engineering goods? HS codes 72, 84 and 85
Engineering goods are not one product line. They are a basket of metals and machines spread across the HS schedule. The heavyweight chapters are 72 and 73 (iron, steel and articles of steel), 84 (boilers, pumps, machinery and mechanical appliances), 85 (electrical machinery, transformers and switchgear) and 87 (vehicles and auto components). Non-ferrous metals in chapters 74–81 and precision instruments in chapter 90 round out the definition EEPC uses (EximGuru/DGCIS).
| HS chapter | What it covers |
|---|---|
| 72 | Iron and steel |
| 73 | Articles of iron or steel |
| 84 | Machinery, boilers and mechanical appliances |
| 85 | Electrical machinery and equipment |
| 87 | Vehicles and auto components |
The exact chapter matters because trade data is searched by HS code. A CNC-lathe maker sits in chapter 84; a wiring-harness supplier lives across 85 and 87. New to the system? Our guide on what an HS code is and how to find it breaks down the six digits.
Which countries buy the most Indian engineering goods?
The United States is the largest buyer of Indian engineering goods, taking about $19.15 billion in FY2024-25, up 8.7% on the year (India Shipping News). The UAE is second at roughly $8.3 billion, followed by Saudi Arabia, the UK and Germany. The top five destinations together account for around 36% of all shipments.
By region, North America leads with a 20.5% share, ahead of the European Union at 17.1% and the West Asia-North Africa bloc at 16.7% (The Statesman/EEPC). Growth is uneven: in FY25 France jumped 43.2%, Nepal 37% and the UK 32.9%, while parts of the Gulf softened. That churn is exactly why exporters track buyer shipments month to month instead of trusting last year's ranking. Want the actual importers? You can browse US engineering importers by product and volume.
One tariff change on a single US steel line can erase a quarter's margin. The exporters who see it coming are the ones watching buyer shipments, not headlines.
What sub-sectors drive India's engineering exports?
Capital goods do the heavy lifting. In FY25 they made up about 62% of India's engineering exports, with primary iron, steel and steel products at 17%, consumer durables at 11% and non-ferrous metals at 10% (IBEF). Auto components, industrial machinery, pumps and electricals sit inside those buckets and are the fastest-moving lines for small and mid-size engineering goods exporters.
The mix tells you where volume actually is. If you machine parts or pour castings, you compete inside the capital-goods block that already drives most of the total, so precise buyer targeting beats spray-and-pray outreach every time.
What is EEPC India, and why it matters
EEPC India, the Engineering Export Promotion Council, is the government-sponsored apex body for the sector, set up in 1955 under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. It publishes the monthly export data most of this article draws on, runs buyer-seller meets, and represents thousands of engineering goods exporters. Its stated ambition is to push engineering goods export from India toward $250 billion by 2030, part of a longer $1.25 trillion vision for 2047 (Entrepreneur India).
For an exporter, membership is practical, not ceremonial. It unlocks the RCMC needed for many export incentives and opens access to trade-fair subsidies. Pair that with your IEC code and the compliance side is largely handled.
How to find buyers for engineering goods export from India
Records exist for most of your target markets. US customs and bill-of-lading data is legally public, so you can see which American firms import pumps, forgings or wiring harnesses, how much they buy and who currently supplies them. ShipScout turns that into a buyer list you can act on:
- Search by HS code or product. Enter chapter 84, 85 or your six-digit line across 11B+ shipment records spanning 240+ countries to pull every importer of that product.
- Rank buyers by volume. ShipScout lists verified buyers ordered by shipment volume, so you approach the firms that move real tonnage first. The method is in how to use customs data to find buyers.
- Check the incumbent supplier. Bill-of-lading records show who supplies a buyer today and roughly at what price, so you know what you are displacing before the first email.
- Reach the right person. Where available, ShipScout surfaces contact intelligence so outreach lands with a buyer, not a generic inbox.
Indian exporters run the same workflow to grow abroad: data-backed targeting, market by market, with mirrored licensed trade data instead of guesswork. Our playbook on finding buyers for export from India goes deeper, and you can benchmark rivals against a list of Indian engineering companies.
Volume-ranked buyer lists change the sales call. Instead of cold-pitching 200 names, you start with the ten importers already buying your exact HS line.
Engineering is India's biggest export story of the decade, and the buyer data is sitting in plain sight. Start a free trial and pull your first engineering buyer list today.
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