RM Legal advises manufacturers, packers, importers, brand owners and e-commerce sellers on compliance with the Legal Metrology Act, 2009 and the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011. We review labels and listings, handle registrations, and respond to notices and inspections.
Our work includes:
Pre-packaged commodities sold at retail must generally carry:
Additional requirements apply to particular categories of goods, and the declarations must meet prescribed standards of size and placement.
E-commerce sellers must display the mandatory declarations on the product listing. From July 2027, e-commerce platforms selling imported products must also provide a searchable and sortable country of origin filter.
Manufacturers, packers and importers of pre-packaged commodities must register with the Legal Metrology authorities. Registration applications must now name a director responsible for compliance.
The Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2026 changed the enforcement approach from 1 May 2026. For several first-time labelling defaults, officers now issue a warning and an improvement notice setting a period for correction instead of initiating prosecution. Penalties for repeat violations have been increased substantially, and failure to comply with an improvement notice can lead to cancellation of registration.
Do Legal Metrology rules apply to goods sold online?
Yes. The mandatory declarations must be displayed on the e-commerce listing, in addition to appearing on the package.
Who needs to register under Legal Metrology?
Manufacturers, packers and importers of pre-packaged commodities, subject to the applicable rules.
What happens if our labels are non-compliant?
For many first-time defaults, the authorities now issue a warning and an improvement notice with a period to correct the issue. Repeat or uncorrected violations attract higher penalties.
Do textiles need Legal Metrology declarations?
Textiles sold in pre-packaged form at retail, such as packed sarees, dress materials and garments, generally require the mandatory declarations. Unpacked goods sold loose are treated differently.
Can we show measurements in inches as well as metric units?
Yes, as supplementary information, provided the standard metric unit is declared prominently and prevails in case of any inconsistency.
Reviewed by Richa M. Goyal, Managing Partner. Last reviewed: October 2026.