What is an EEE code under India's E-Waste Rules?

EEE stands for electrical and electronic equipment. The E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2022 apply to the EEE listed in Schedule I, including components, consumables, parts and spares that make the product operational^[4]. Each line in Schedule I has a code. The letters at the front show the category group, for example ITEW or CEEW, and the number picks out the item.

The code matters for two things: whether the rules apply at all, and which environmental compensation rate applies, since CPCB sets EC per kg by EEE category^[3]. The full guide is e-waste EPR.

An EEE code is not an HS code. Customs uses HS codes to classify goods at the border, while CPCB uses EEE codes to group products for e-waste targets. The two lists do not map one to one, so keep both in your product records.

EEE codes are printed in Schedule I of the E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2022, notified as G.S.R. 801(E) on 2 November 2022^[1] and in force from 1 April 2023^[1]. The rules apply to Schedule I equipment and its components, consumables, parts and spares^[4].

The list has been stable. The 2023 amendment changed rule 16(5) and Schedule II but not the Schedule I product list^[5]. So a code you mapped in 2023 still holds in 2026, but check each new amendment on the e-waste EPR page.

Every producer under the e-waste rules, and that includes importers. A 'producer' includes anyone who offers to sell imported EEE and its components, consumables, parts or spares^[1]. When you register, you declare EEE placed on the market by financial year and by weight^[6], so it helps to map each product to its Schedule I entry first.

Micro enterprises are outside the rules, and waste batteries and packaging plastics are governed by their own rules^[1]. So a gadget's battery goes under battery EPR, and its packaging under plastic EPR.

The prefix is the category, and each category has its own environmental compensation (EC) rate and certificate floor price^[3]. IT gear (ITEW) carries one of the higher rates among consumer categories.

These products are named in Schedule I with a code:

Several broad entries catch many imports. These are named in Schedule I:

Many popular imports have no line of their own. Schedule I does not name headphones or earphones, chargers or adapters, power banks, smart watches or wearables, CCTV cameras, keyboards or mice, or Bluetooth speakers as separate items^[1]. Whether they are covered depends on generic entries, such as 'other products or equipment for recording or reproducing sound or images' (CEEW13)^[1], and on the rule that components, parts and spares are in scope^[4].

We do not assign codes to these products. How CPCB classifies them on the portal has not been confirmed officially, so ask CPCB or check the portal's own product list before registering.

Once the code is set, targets follow. The Schedule III recycling target is 70% for 2026-27^[1], and EC rates differ by group: ITEW Rs 112 per kg, CEEW Rs 74^[3].

Industry practice maps unnamed products to the nearest broad entry, but none of these mappings is official. Treat them as working assumptions and confirm with CPCB^[1]. Whatever you choose, write down why, use the same code every year, and keep the reasoning with your registration file so a later audit sees a consistent position.

List each product, find its Schedule I entry, work out weights by year, then register on CPCB's portal.

A tablet importer's products are ITEW19^[1]. CPCB sets its target from portal data and the product's life period^[9]; the Schedule III recycling target for 2026-27 is 70%^[1].

Suppose the target works out at 1,000 kg and the importer buys no certificates. EC for ITEW is Rs 112 per kg^[3], so 1,000 x Rs 112 = Rs 1,12,000. Meeting it with certificates instead costs at least the Rs 34 per kg floor, so at least Rs 34,000^[3], and certificate prices can range up to 100% of EC^[10].

Had the same 1,000 kg been TVs (CEEW1, Rs 74 per kg), the EC would be Rs 74,000. The code alone changes the bill by over a third. See environmental compensation and e-waste targets.

Once a product has an EEE code, RoHS limits, used-goods rules and bulk-consumer rules can also apply, not just recycling targets.

• RoHS limits. New EEE and components must not exceed 0.1% by weight of lead, mercury, hexavalent chromium, PBB and PBDE, or 0.01% cadmium, in homogeneous materials^[1]. Since 2023 the conformance declaration is given when CPCB asks for it^[11], so keep supplier test data on file.
• Used or refurbished imports. Importers of used EEE carry a 100% EPR obligation at end of life unless the goods are re-exported^[1]. Refurbishing certificates defer EPR, after which 75% of the deferred quantity comes back^[1].
• Bulk consumers. A business using at least 1,000 units of Schedule I EEE in a year, including e-retailers, must hand its e-waste only to registered entities^[1].
• Batteries inside. Batteries in EEE fall under separate rules^[1], so a laptop importer also registers for battery EPR and, for packaging, plastic EPR.

Small importers can read EPR for small importers for what applies at low volumes.

An HS code classifies goods for Customs duty and import policy; an EEE code classifies them for e-waste EPR. You need both, and they do not map one to one.

• Guessing a code for an unnamed product. Coverage of earphones, chargers, power banks and similar items is not settled^[1].
• Confusing laptop and notebook. They have separate codes, ITEW3 and ITEW4^[1].
• Treating batteries as e-waste. Waste batteries sit under the battery rules^[1].
• Forgetting the code drives cost. EC and certificate floors depend on the category^[3].

A few figures decide most e-waste costs.

• Environmental compensation: the charge your code's category sets.
• EPR certificate: what you buy from recyclers to meet the target.
• Producer responsibility organisation: third parties that help, though liability stays with you.
• HS code: the customs classification you also need.

For a cost estimate across EPR regimes, see EPR registration cost, or ask for a free compliance check.