India Requires Standards Mark on Aluminium Drink Cans from April 2027

India requires a Bureau of Indian Standards mark on aluminium utensils at once and on drink cans from April 1, 2027.

India’s commerce ministry on Oct. 13, 2026 required a national standards mark on aluminium utensils at once, and on drink cans from April 1, 2027¹.

The new rule is the Cookware, Utensils and Cans for Foods and Beverages (Quality Control) Second Order, 2026. It replaces the first order of the same name, issued in January 2026¹.

In short, aluminium pots, pans and other utensils need the BIS mark now, with no later date for small makers. Aluminium drink cans get more time, and need the mark from April 1, 2027 for most makers.

Who issued the cookware and cans order?

The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), part of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, issued the order. It was published in the Gazette of India, the government’s official journal, as S.O. 5624(E)¹.

The order rests on the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 2016. The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is India’s national standards body. The government says it acted in the public interest, after consulting the BIS¹.

The order came into force on the day it was published in the gazette¹.

What must aluminium utensils and cans do?

The order lists goods that must meet an Indian Standard. They must also carry the BIS Standard Mark, used under a licence from the BIS¹.

The order covers two standards:

• IS 1660:2024, the Indian Standard for wrought aluminium utensils. These are pots, pans and other kitchen items shaped from solid aluminium.
• IS 14407:2023, the Indian Standard for aluminium cans for beverages, such as soft-drink and beer cans.

The licence follows Scheme-1 of Schedule-II of the BIS testing and approval rules of 2018¹. In practice, a maker needs a BIS licence before it can put the mark on its goods. Without the mark, the goods cannot be sold in India.

The order also says the latest version of each standard applies. Any change the BIS later notifies takes effect from the date of that notice¹.

When do the new rules start for utensils and cans?

The dates differ by product and by the size of the maker. The order treats micro and small enterprises, as defined in India’s 2006 law on such firms, separately¹.

For aluminium utensils, the rule applies with immediate effect for all makers. That includes large, small and micro enterprises¹.

For aluminium beverage cans, the order sets three dates¹:

• April 1, 2027 for most makers.
• July 1, 2027 for small enterprises.
• Oct. 1, 2027 for micro enterprises.

What changed from the January 2026 order?

The first order, S.O. 219(E), was published on Jan. 15, 2026². It covered the same two standards, but set one set of dates for both products.

Under the January order, the rule began on Oct. 1, 2026 for most makers². Small enterprises had until Jan. 1, 2027, and micro enterprises until April 1, 2027.

The second order changes this in two ways. First, can makers get about six months more time, from Oct. 1, 2026 to April 1, 2027¹. Small and micro can makers also get later dates.

Second, small and micro makers of aluminium utensils lose their extra time. They had dates in January and April 2027 under the first order². Now the rule applies to them at once¹.

The second order also adds a clause on penalties. Anyone who breaks the order can be punished under the BIS Act, 2016¹. The January order did not include this clause².

What does the order mean for importers?

Imported utensils and cans must meet the same standards as goods made in India. An exporter abroad selling aluminium utensils to India needs a BIS licence and the mark on its goods.

For aluminium utensils, there is no waiting period under the new order. Shipments of utensils without the BIS mark can no longer be sold in India, except under the old-stock rule below.

For drink cans, foreign can makers have until April 1, 2027 to get a BIS licence¹. Indian drink companies that buy empty cans from abroad depend on those suppliers having the licence by then.

The BIS is the authority that certifies the goods and enforces the order¹. It decides who gets a licence and checks the mark. A seller who breaks the order can face penalties under the BIS Act, 2016¹.

Domestic makers and importers face the same dates. A small or micro enterprise gets the later can dates whether it makes cans in India or imports them, if it meets the 2006 definition¹.

Which goods does the order leave out?

The order lists several exemptions¹:

• Goods made in India for export. Indian factories can make utensils and cans for foreign buyers without the BIS mark.
• Filled goods. The order does not apply to imported goods filled with a solid, liquid or gas. A can of imported juice or beer is not covered, only the empty can.
• Research samples. Makers of cookware, utensils and cans may import up to 200 items a year for research and development.

The research samples come with conditions. They cannot be sold and must be thrown away as scrap. The maker must keep a yearly record and give it to the central government¹.

Can old stock still be sold?

Yes, for a limited time. The order protects goods made or imported before the start date for the product¹.

This applies to three groups: makers already certified by the BIS, makers who have applied for certification, and importers of the goods. They may sell or display this stock for up to six months after the start date¹.

To use this, the maker or importer must send a declaration to the BIS. A chartered accountant, a qualified accountant, must certify it¹. The same rule was in the January order².

What happens next for beverage cans?

The next date is April 1, 2027, when most can makers must carry the mark. Small enterprises follow on July 1, 2027, and micro enterprises on Oct. 1, 2027¹.

Under the old-stock rule, declared cans made or imported before April 1, 2027 could be sold until about October 2027. For utensils, the six-month period counts from the order’s start date.

Key points on India’s cookware and cans order

The table sums up the main facts of the second order.

Aluminium utensils now need the BIS mark to be sold in India. For drink cans, the next deadline is April 1, 2027, when most makers and their imports must carry the mark.

Sources

1. ↩ Cookware-Utensils-and-Cans-for-Foods-and-Beverages-Quality-Control-Second-Order-2026-October152026.pdf https://avantiscdnprodstorage.blob.core.windows.net/legalupdatedocs/60417/Cookware-Utensils-and-Cans-for-Foods-and-Beverages-Quality-Control-Second-Order-2026-October152026.pdf
2. ↩ Cookware, Utensils and Cans for Foods and Beverages (Quality Control) Order, 2026 – Government of India https://www.sgs.com/-/media/sgscorp/documents/corporate/third-party-documents/cookware-utensils-and-cans-for-foods-and-beverages-quality-control-order-2026–government-of-india.cdn.en.pdf