Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution
About Bureau of Indian Standards
The National Standards Body of India — Safeguarding Consumer Welfare, Industrial Quality, and National Benchmarks since 1947.
Established under the statutory authority of the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 2016, BIS operates harmonious standard formulation, product quality marking (ISI Mark), Compulsory Registration (CRS), and gold Hallmarking across India.
What is BIS and Why does it exist?
The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is the National Standards Body of India, operating under the aegis of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, Government of India.
In India, manufactured and imported goods—from infant milk, helmets, pressure cookers, and solar inverters to steel rebar—must satisfy stringent quality, safety, and health benchmarks. BIS was created to eliminate sub-standard, hazardous products, protect public health, and give Indian industry world-class competitiveness through standardized manufacturing specifications.
For Consumers
Guarantees product safety, protects from hazardous counterfeits (*Manak Se Suraksha*), and ensures gold purity via 6-digit HUID.
For Manufacturers & MSMEs
Provides standardized blueprints, technical testing criteria, and global acceptance for the “Make in India” initiative.
Origin of BIS: From ISI (1947) to Modern BIS
Explore the 75+ year journey of standardization in independent India.
Foundation of ISI (6 January 1947)
Registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 as the Indian Standards Institution (ISI) with the mandate to build industrial self-reliance and establish technical quality benchmarks for independent India.
ISI Certification Marks Act
Enacted by Parliament to grant authority for certifying conformity to Indian Standards, empowering industries to display the certification symbol.
Launch of the Iconic ISI Mark
The ISI Mark was officially introduced, becoming India's most recognized hallmark for product safety, reliability, and consumer protection.
Bureau of Indian Standards Act (Act 63 of 1986)
Reconstituted the Indian Standards Institution as the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) on 1 April 1987, granting statutory status as the National Standards Body of India.
Gold Hallmarking Scheme Launched
Voluntary Hallmarking of gold jewellery was introduced to protect consumers against adulteration and guarantee declared fineness.
Modern BIS Act, 2016 (Act No. 11 of 2016)
Came into force on 12 October 2017. Modernized regulatory powers, introduced mandatory Quality Control Orders (QCOs), simplified conformity assessment, and strengthened legal penalties for counterfeits.
Mandatory 6-Digit HUID Laser Hallmarking
Implemented mandatory digital Hallmark Unique Identification (HUID) on gold jewellery, enabling citizens to verify purity and authenticity via the BIS CARE App.
Statutory Acts & Quality Control Orders (QCOs)
How Indian law empowers mandatory compliance for consumer health, safety, and security.
BIS Act, 2016 (Act 11 of 2016)
Repealed and replaced the 1986 Act. Established BIS as the National Standards Body of India with wider powers to notify mandatory standards for goods, services, systems, and processes.
- Empowers Central Govt to issue mandatory QCOs
- Recall of non-conforming products & penal compensation
- Strict penalties for misuse of standard marks
Quality Control Orders (QCOs)
Issued by central ministries (DPIIT, MeitY, MoRTH, MoPNG, Steel Ministry) under Section 16 of the BIS Act. Makes BIS certification mandatory before manufacturing, importing, or selling in India.
- Strict prohibition of non-standard manufacture/import
- Customs clearance tied to valid BIS licence/CRS
- Search, seizure, and legal prosecution for violations
Conformity Assessment Regulations
BIS (Conformity Assessment) Regulations, 2018 defines the formal schemes for licensing, auditing, testing protocols, factory surveillance, and market sample verifications.
- Scheme I (ISI Mark Certification)
- Scheme II (Compulsory Registration Scheme - CRS)
- Scheme IV (Foreign Manufacturers Scheme - FMCS)
Major BIS Certification Schemes
Understanding how different product categories achieve conformity.
ISI Mark Scheme
Comprehensive scheme involving factory quality management evaluation, initial factory sample testing, and ongoing market surveillance.
Compulsory Registration (CRS)
Self-declaration of conformity by manufacturers based on safety test reports issued by BIS-recognized laboratories.
Foreign Manufacturers (FMCS)
Enables overseas manufacturers to obtain BIS licence to use the standard ISI Mark on products exported to India.
Gold & Silver Hallmarking
Purity verification featuring the BIS Logo, Purity Grade in Karats/Fineness, and 6-digit alphanumeric HUID laser code.
Pillars of Impact: Building a Quality Conscious Nation
How BIS standards touch every aspect of life, industry, and governance.
Consumer Safety
“Manak Se Suraksha” — strict enforcement against substandard items that risk fire, electrocution, or toxic contamination.
Make in India & MSMEs
Provides micro and small industries with world-class standard specifications, boosting domestic manufacturing and export competitiveness.
Gold Transparency (HUID)
Empowered millions of Indian households by eliminating gold under-caratage through 100% traceable laser hallmarking.
Linguistic Inclusivity
Enforces standards like IS 16333 (Part 3) across all mobile handsets in India to natively support 22 scheduled Indian languages.
Directory: Headquarters, Regional Offices & Labs
BIS operates across 5 regions, 34+ branch offices, and an extensive laboratory testing network.
Central Laboratory & HQ
National Headquarters, Apex Testing, Policy & International Secretariat
Northern Regional Office (NRO)
Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, UT Chandigarh
Western Regional Office (WRO)
Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa, Madhya Pradesh, Daman & Diu, Dadra & Nagar Haveli
Eastern Regional Office (ERO)
West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Assam & North-Eastern States
Southern Regional Office (SRO)
Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Puducherry
Central Regional Office (CRO)
Delhi NCR, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan
Official Digital Portals & Mobile Apps
Access official BIS digital public infrastructure for verification, licensing, and purchasing.
BIS CARE Mobile App
Verify ISI Mark licence numbers, CRS registration details, and 6-digit HUID gold hallmarking authenticity. File complaints directly to BIS vigilance.
Manakonline Portal
Single-window digital platform for e-services: product certification applications, laboratory testing requests, hallmarking centre licensing, and standard comments.
Standards & Quality Directory
Authoritative digital portal for discovering, verifying, and downloading Gazette-notified Indian Standards and products under compulsory certification.
Know Your Standard (KYS)
Free public discovery tool providing access to simplified product manuals, test methods, and Gazette Quality Control Orders (QCOs).
Need to find a standard for your product?
Use our AI-powered BIS Standards Navigator to discover applicable IS codes, mandatory QCOs, testing parameters, and certification pathways.