Detecting Grade Fraud in Mumbai's Stockist Ecosystem

There is a conversation that happens in every machine shop in Mumbai, usually over chai, usually after someone lost money: "The stockist sold me 304 and it turned out to be 202."

Grade fraud — the substitution of a cheaper or off-spec alloy for the one that was ordered and invoiced — is endemic in India's metal supply chain. It's not always malicious. Sometimes it's ignorance compounded by a supply chain with too many intermediaries and too few test certificates. But the result is the same: your part fails, your customer loses confidence, and you eat the cost.

How it happens

The Indian metals supply chain typically has 3–5 layers between mill and end user: mill → primary distributor → regional stockist → local dealer → buyer. At each handoff, traceability degrades. Heat numbers get lost. MTCs get photocopied from a "representative" batch. By the time material reaches a small machine shop in MIDC, the provenance is often untraceable.

Common substitutions

The most frequently reported grade substitutions in the Indian market include: 6082 sold as 6061 (minor but specification-critical), SS 202 sold as SS 304 (major — completely different corrosion resistance), SS 304 sold as SS 316 (dangerous in chemical environments), off-spec aluminium sold as aerospace-grade alloy, and re-rolled or recycled material sold as virgin mill stock.

How to protect yourself

Three practical steps: First, demand an original MTC with heat number for every order — not a photocopy, not a generic certificate. Second, invest in PMI verification (a handheld XRF test costs ₹200 and takes 30 seconds). Third, build relationships with suppliers who test proactively and publish results transparently.

Why Tikshara exists

We built Tikshara because we believe the verification burden shouldn't fall on the buyer. Every piece of metal we sell comes with a traceable MTC. Verified and Aerospace tiers include independent lab confirmation. We test before you ask, and we disclose before you check. That's not a feature — it's the baseline that should have existed all along.