Stainless Steel Utensil Makers Seek Relief As BIS Norms Threaten To Disrupt Industry

resiIndia’s stainless steel utensil manufacturers have raised urgent concerns over the impending implementation of a Quality Control Order that mandates BIS certification, warning of widespread disruption, job losses, and halted production if relief is not provided.

In a letter to Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, the All India Stainless Steel Industries Association called for an immediate extension of QCO deadlines for micro and small units, citing non-availability of BIS-certified raw materials, unresolved technical queries, and long wait times for BIS licensing. “Thousands of manufacturers are in a state of confusion and disarray. Enforcing the QCO without preparedness will collapse supply chains,” the letter said.

The QCO, notified in August 2023 and amended since, is already applicable to medium and large units. It is scheduled to cover small enterprises from July and micro units from October 2025. However, AISSIA said the ecosystem is simply not ready.

"Only about 150 suppliers have obtained BIS licences, of the existing 8,000-10,000 total suppliers, making compliance impossible for downstream manufacturers," Sailesh Shah, President at the AISSIA, told NDTV Profit.

The industry has also requested clarity on issues like stock clearance timelines, marking fees, exports of surplus material, and exemptions for MSMEs. The association urged the government to align exemption criteria with MSME definitions and allow temporary licenses based on declarations.

"There's widespread confusion around applying for this license. The process is cumbersome and testing takes a lot of time and money. Each test costs about Rs 35,000 and the benchmarks for testing are also very varied," Shah said.

With inventory worth crores and lakhs of workers at risk, makers argue that utensils are not safety-critical products and deserve a more phased, consultative rollout. “We are committed to quality, but implementation without preparation will only create confusion, not compliance,” AISSIA said in its appeal.