What is the principal display panel on a package, and what must it show?

Rule 2(h) of the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011 defines the principal display panel as the total surface area of a package where the information the rules require is given. That information can either be grouped together in one place, or split so that the pre-printed information is in one place and the information printed on the line (such as batch details and dates) is in another^[1].

In plain terms, it is the part of the box or wrapper where a buyer, an inspector or a customs officer should find all the mandatory declarations without hunting for them. Rule 8(1) makes this explicit: every declaration required by the rules must appear on the principal display panel^[1].

Anyone who makes, packs, imports or sells pre-packaged goods for retail sale. That includes importers of consumer electronics, which must carry declarations such as the importer's name and address, country of origin, net quantity, month and year of manufacture, MRP and consumer care details^[2].

For imported packages, the importer's name and complete address must be on the package. Where foreign-made goods are packed in India, the principal display panel itself must give the name and complete address of the Indian packer or importer^[1].

The retail-package chapter does not apply to packs over 25 kg or 25 litres, or to goods for industrial or institutional buyers purchasing directly from the manufacturer^[1].

If you import, you must also hold LMPC registration under rule 27; see importer registration and the LMPC overview.

All the mandatory declarations, together. The Department of Consumer Affairs lists them as the name and address of the manufacturer, packer or importer, country of origin, common or generic name, net quantity, month and year of manufacture, MRP, unit sale price, best-before date where relevant, and consumer care details^[2].

The principal display panel is a Legal Metrology idea. Other regulators have their own marking rules, which often share the same box. Plan the artwork so each one is complete.

Electronics boxes are small and crowded, so a few rules matter most.

• Date of manufacture. For electronic products, spare parts and accessories, G.S.R. 722(E) reportedly lets the month and year be shown anywhere on the retail package, as long as it is visible and legible^[11].
• Bundled accessories. When one product is packed in two or more units, the declarations go on the main package; components sold as spare parts need full declarations on each pack^[1].
• QR codes. A 2022 relaxation let electronics give some declarations by QR code for one year, but the pack still had to show the importer's name and consumer care contacts^[12].
• Screen sizes. A May 2026 advisory reportedly allows customary units such as inches next to the SI unit, if the SI unit is prominent and prevails, for example "139 cm (55 inches)"^[13].

Product pages such as Bluetooth earphones, power banks and televisions show the full label set for each item.

• Group the declarations. Put them together, or in two groups: one pre-printed and one printed on the line^[1].
• Keep space around the net quantity. The area around the quantity declaration must be free of other printing, by at least the height of the numerals above and below and twice that height to the left and right^[1].
• Make it legible and contrasting. The MRP and net quantity numerals must contrast clearly with the background^[1].
• Repeat on the outer wrapper. If the pack has an outer box or wrapper, it must carry the declarations too, unless it is transparent and the inner declarations can be read through it^[1].
• Tiny packs. For packages of five cubic centimetres or less, the panel can be a card or tape firmly attached to the pack^[1].
• Language. Use Hindi in Devanagari script or English; other languages may be added^[1].

For importers, the same rules apply whether you print the box at the factory or apply a sticker later. Since 2026 the declarations may be applied in AEO Tier-2 or Tier-3 bonded warehouses, as long as every pack is complete before it leaves^[3]. Stickers may not alter mandatory declarations, except a reduced-MRP sticker that leaves the original MRP visible^[1].

At the factory, at an Indian warehouse, or since 2026 in bond. Explanation-2 to rule 4, inserted on 29 May 2026, lets importers make the declarations at bonded warehouses of AEO Tier-2 and Tier-3 operators, provided every retail pack is complete before it leaves^[3].

Stickers are allowed for adding declarations, but not for changing them: the only exception is a reduced-MRP sticker that leaves the original MRP visible^[1]. Online listings must also show the declarations; since 2018 e-commerce entities are reportedly required to display them for pre-packaged goods^[14], which is why marketplaces ask for label photos. See the Amazon sellers guide.

As notified in 2011, letters had to be at least 1 mm high, or 2 mm when embossed, moulded or perforated, with a width of at least a third of the height^[1].

The 2017 amendment is reported to have replaced this with a single table based on the area of the principal display panel^[15]:

The same 2017 amendment reportedly set out how to work out the area, leaving out tops, bottoms, can flanges and the shoulders and necks of bottles^[15]:

• Rectangular pack: height times width of the side that serves as the principal display panel.
• Cylindrical pack: 40 per cent of height times circumference.
• Other shapes: 40 per cent of the total surface, or the area treated as the principal display panel.

Worked example: a rectangular earbuds box whose front face is 10 cm by 8 cm has a panel of 80 sq cm. On the reported table, that falls in the "above 50 up to 100 sq cm" band, so declarations need letters of at least 1.5 mm^[15].

These use the reported 2017 method and table^[15]. Check the gazette text before final artwork.

• Declarations scattered around the box. Rule 8 wants them on the panel^[1], not split across sides.
• Outer sleeve without declarations. An opaque sleeve must repeat them^[1].
• Using the 2011 letter sizes. Packs designed to the old 1 mm minimum may be too small under the reported 2017 table^[15].
• Missing importer details. The importer's actual corporate name and complete address must appear^[1].

See LMPC label rules for the full list of declarations.

Packages outside the retail-package chapter. Rule 3 excludes packages of more than 25 kg or 25 litres (except cement and fertiliser bags up to 50 kg) and goods for industrial or institutional buyers purchasing directly^[1][2].

The industrial exemption is narrow. A carton of chargers sold to a distributor who resells them to consumers is still a retail product at the point of sale, so the pack inside must be labelled.

Since the Jan Vishwas amendments, section 36(1) covers anyone who makes, packs, imports, sells or offers a non-conforming pack, including through e-commerce platforms^[4].

• LMPC registration: the importer registration behind the address on the panel.
• Standard Mark: the BIS mark that often shares the same face.
• PIBO: the plastic EPR role that adds its own marking.

For costs see LMPC registration costs. If you want a second pair of eyes on artwork before the factory prints it, use the approval checker to confirm which marks apply, or ask for a free compliance check.