Index of Eight Core Industries (ICI)
Composition and Significance
The Index of Core Industries is a monthly production index released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (DPIIT). It tracks output in eight infrastructure-heavy sectors that form the backbone of India's industrial economy. The ICI carries significant macro-economic weight because these eight sectors collectively account for 40.27% of the weight of items in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP). The ICI is released approximately 28 days after the reference month, ahead of the full IIP data.
- Eight sectors and their IIP weights (total 40.27%): Refinery Products (28.04%), Electricity (19.85%), Steel (17.92%), Coal (10.33%), Crude Oil (8.98%), Natural Gas (6.88%), Cement (5.37%), Fertilizers (2.63%) — note: weights are within the core industries sub-index
- Base year: 2011-12 = 100
- Released by: Office of the Economic Adviser (OEA), DPIIT
- Lead indicator: often used to estimate IIP before IIP is published
- February 2026 ICI: 2.3%; January 2026: 4.7%; April-February FY26 cumulative: 2.9%
● Tracked since March 20, 2026 · last seen May 22, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes
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