Importing mixer grinders into India: ISI mark under IS 4250, EPR and other approvals

Mixer grinders have needed the ISI mark since 2019. The rule comes from a kitchen-appliance QCO that predates the 2026 umbrella order, and the standard is IS 4250, not IS 302.

For a standard mains-powered mixer grinder you need:

1. An ISI licence held by the factory. The BIS Kitchen Appliances (Quality Control) Order, 2018 requires domestic electric food mixers (liquidizers and grinders) and centrifugal juicers to meet IS 4250, and hand-held blenders to meet IS 302 (Part 2/Sec 14), from 1 May 2019^[2]. Foreign factories apply through FMCS^[9].
2. E-waste EPR registration. The closest Schedule I entry is "Grinders, coffee machines ..." (LSEEW21)^[6].
3. Plastic packaging EPR^[10].
4. LMPC importer registration^[8].

Not required: CRS, the BEE star label^[7], or a WPC ETA unless the appliance has a radio.

Related products are different. Food processors, grain grinders and rechargeable portable blenders are named in the 2026 household appliances QCO^[3], which applies from 1 October 2026^[3].

For a mains-powered mixer grinder or juicer-mixer-grinder imported for retail sale (checked 1 November 2026).

Mixer grinders are usually declared under subheading 8509 40, food grinders and mixers and fruit or vegetable juice extractors, with items 8509 40 10 (food grinders) and 8509 40 90 (other)^[18]. This is from a third-party tariff database; check with your broker.

Which BIS rule applies depends on the product, not the HS line:

Juicers are a grey area. The title of IS 4250 in the 2018 order includes centrifugal juicers^[2], but the 2026 umbrella order also lists "Electric Centrifugal Juicers"^[3]. BIS's guidelines treat IS 4250 products as already covered elsewhere^[1]. Ask BIS which licence a stand-alone juicer needs.

A classic mixer grinder needs an ISI licence under IS 4250; food processors, grain mills and USB blenders need a separate ISI licence under IS 302 (Part 1). The matrix below adds the other approvals each variant draws. Test a model in the approval checker.

The factory's ISI licence is the long step. Start your EPR and LMPC registrations at the same time.

The order. The BIS Kitchen Appliances (Quality Control) Order, 2018 (S.O. 5243(E), 10 October 2018) came into force on 1 May 2019^[2]. The order states expressly that it applies to import as well as manufacture for use in India^[2]. BIS lists it as a Scheme-I product^[1].

The standard. IS 4250 is a product standard for domestic electric food mixers (liquidizers and grinders)^[2]. BIS's December 2024 guidelines cite IS 4250:1980^[1]. Hand-held blenders follow IS 302 (Part 2/Sec 14), the kitchen-machines part of the IS 302 family. See IS 302 (Part 1) for how that family is built.

Who holds the licence. The factory. Indian factories apply on Manakonline^[22]; foreign factories apply under FMCS with an Indian-resident AIR^[9][23]. One application per product standard and per factory^[22].

Process and time. BIS inspects the factory and draws samples for independent testing^[4]. The FMCS average is about six months^[4]; for Indian factories using a recognised-lab report, about one month^[22]. Test reports for option-2 must generally be no more than 90 days old^[22].

After grant. BIS surveils the licence with factory visits and market samples^[27].

Not for a standard mixer grinder. The umbrella QCO excludes appliances already under another QCO^[3], and BIS lists the IS 4250 food mixer and the hand-held blender under the 2018 Kitchen Appliances QCO as such exclusions^[1].

It matters for the products around it. Food processors, grain grinders up to 3 l hopper, centrifugal juicers and DC or battery-operated blenders and juicers are named in the 2026 order^[3]. These need an ISI licence under IS 302 (Part 1):2024^[3], with BIS mapping kitchen machines to IS 302 (Part 2/Sec 14)^[28].

Dates: 1 October 2026 for most firms, 1 January 2027 for small enterprises and 1 April 2027 for micro enterprises^[3]. Goods made or imported before 1 October 2026 by a certified manufacturer, or one that had applied, can be sold for six months after declaring them to BIS^[3].

Yes, from 1 October 2026 for most firms. "DC supplied/battery-operated blenders, juicers" is entry 87 of the 2026 household appliances QCO^[3]. The 2025 version of the order first widened the scope to DC-supplied and battery-operated appliances^[29], and IS 302 (Part 1):2024 added rules for battery-operated appliances and charging of metal-ion batteries^[30].

These USB-charged bottle blenders also need battery EPR, because they contain lithium cells^[16]. Lithium cells and batteries for portable applications are themselves a CRS category under IS 16046 (Part 2)^[20], so ask the blender maker for the cell's R-number too. See IS 16046.

• CRS: no. Mixer grinders are on the ISI list under the 2018 order^[2].
• BEE: no. They are on neither BEE list^[7].
• WPC ETA: only with a radio, for example a Bluetooth-connected blender^[21].

Yes. Schedule I of the E-Waste Rules, 2022 does not use the words "mixer grinder", but lists "Grinders, coffee machines and equipment for opening or sealing containers or packages" as LSEEW21^[6]. That is the natural fit.

As an importer who sells imported EEE you are a producer^[24]. Register with CPCB before selling^[24]. Registration costs Rs 10,000 for a producer whose sales have just started^[13]. For 2026-27 your recycling target is 70%^[24]; shortfalls cost Rs 76 per kg for LSEEW items^[31]. The rules also cover parts and spares^[32], so spare jars and blades sold separately count.

Plastic EPR. Mixer grinders reach India in film bags, foam and plastic-strapped cartons. An importer of products in plastic packaging is an obligated entity^[10][25]. Register on CPCB's portal^[25]; the application fee is Rs 10,000 below 1,000 tonnes a year^[14]. Plastic packaging must show your name and registration number^[33].

LMPC. Every importer of a pre-packaged commodity registers under rule 27^[8], for Rs 500^[8], within 90 days of starting imports^[8]. The registration now stays valid until cancelled^[15]. Each retail box needs the importer's name and address, country of origin, generic name, net quantity, month and year of manufacture, MRP, unit sale price and consumer-care details^[34]. See LMPC label rules.

Mixer grinders often ship with several jars in one box. Rule 6(5) puts the declarations on the main package with details of the accompanying units, but spare jars sold separately need full declarations on each package^[8].

The ISI licence comes with ongoing duties, and as importer you feel them first.

• Surveillance. BIS visits licensed foreign factories to check they follow the Scheme of Inspection and Testing, tests samples, and buys products from the market; licensees report production and dispatches^[27].
• New models. Adding a variety to an FMCS licence costs Rs 5,000 per variety, or per group where grouping guidelines exist^[5]. A new jar set or motor rating may count as a new variety.
• Renewal. It needs Form XII, month-wise production with consignee addresses, an extended bank guarantee and the marking fee, with a Rs 5,000 late fee^[12].
• Recall risk. If marked goods fail, BIS can order supply stopped and products recalled^[26].

Keep a copy of the current licence and its scope with every shipment. Marketplaces and customs both ask for it.

Use this to check which date applies to each product in your range.

• ISI Standard Mark under the factory's licence^[2].
• Marking required by IS 4250, such as rating; follow your licence's product manual.
• LMPC declarations on the retail box^[34], including month and year of manufacture^[34].
• Plastic EPR name and registration number^[33].

Check the printed carton against this list, or run it through the free label checker and the product label checklist.

For one foreign factory and one product standard, first year, before GST. IS 4250's minimum marking fee is Rs 79,000 for a large firm^[19].

• Production above the minimum. IS 4250 also carries Rs 3.5 per piece^[19]; see the volume example below.
• Officer travel and per diem for a foreign factory visit^[5].
• Testing charges at the lab BIS uses.
• Extra standards. If you also sell food processors under the 2026 order, that is a second standard and a second application^[22].
• Indian MSE concessions on the minimum marking fee, until 31 May 2029^[36].

See the cost of a BIS ISI licence.

For a large foreign factory, first-year BIS fees come to about Rs 1.05 lakh for a mixer grinder range, because the marking fee is per standard, not per model. Three mixer models in one series pay the same Rs 79,000 minimum^[19]. Adding a food processor means a second application under a different standard^[22], with IS 302 (Part 1)'s Rs 2,41,000 minimum^[19]. The inspection line assumes a two-day foreign visit^[37] by one officer; travel and per diem are extra^[5]. Run your own figures in the compliance cost estimator.

At about 22,600 mixers a year for a large firm, because IS 4250 charges Rs 3.5 per piece against a Rs 79,000 minimum^[19]. A brand marking 50,000 mixers a year would owe Rs 1,75,000 in actual marking fee, which is more than the minimum, so that is what is payable; a BIS grant letter reportedly says the higher figure applies^[38]. The actual fee is based on a production statement certified by a chartered or cost accountant^[39].

About six months for a foreign factory under FMCS and about one month for an Indian factory with a recognised lab report, on BIS's own averages^[4][22].

A foreign factory files Form V with a self-evaluation report, an AIR nomination and its process and quality documents, and is always inspected. Under the 2026 grant guidelines the application goes in on Form V with a self-evaluation-cum-verification report^[40]. The simplified option with your own lab report is not open to foreign manufacturers, so every foreign file gets a factory visit and drawn samples^[41]. A visit normally lasts two days for a foreign factory, and grant is expected within 90 days under option-1 if everything is right first time^[37].

BIS's FMCS list asks for proof of the Indian agent or office, the AIR nomination, a manufacturing process flow chart and quality documents^[42]. Calibration certificates must stay valid for at least three months after the application is recorded^[43]. Use the ISI documents list and apply on Manakonline.

1. A new brand importing 750 W mixer grinders from China. The Chinese factory needs an FMCS licence for IS 4250^[2][9]. Expect about six months^[4]. You register for e-waste (LSEEW21), plastic EPR and LMPC yourself.

2. A seller adding portable USB blenders to a mixer range. The mixer grinder licence does not cover them. Portable blenders are entry 87 of the 2026 QCO^[3], and they need battery EPR^[16].

3. A distributor with stock imported before October 2026 of food processors. If the manufacturer was certified or had applied and declared the stock to BIS, it can be sold for six months after 1 October 2026^[3]. Without that, the stock cannot be sold.

The factory holds the licence and the importer cannot apply in its place; the importer holds EPR and LMPC; everyone who sells is liable for unmarked stock. Put this split into your supply contract, and check suppliers on the Flipkart seller and Amazon seller guides.

Most holds are about which licence covers which product.

Expect market samples, quarterly consignee reports and an annual fee cycle. Under BIS's February 2026 market surveillance guidelines, generally two samples a year are bought for each Scheme-I licence, rising to three or four depending on past compliance^[47]. Samples can be picked up anywhere in the supply chain, including the port of entry^[47], and at least one must come from a state other than the licensee's^[47]. The licensee files month-wise production and consignee details every quarter^[47]; a licensee that does not is given 30 days and then faces suspension proceedings^[48].

After a first failed sample, the licence goes on enhanced surveillance every three months until consecutive samples pass^[49]. Suspended, cancelled and expired licences are published on the e-BIS dashboard^[50], which is how buyers and marketplaces check suppliers. See how to verify a BIS licence.

Renewal is filed on the BIS portal in Form XII, preferably two months before the validity date, and is usually automatic if fees and data are in order^[51][52]. A licence can be renewed for one to five years, with the licence fee and advance minimum marking fee paid for the period chosen^[53]. The actual marking fee is worked out from a production statement certified by a chartered or cost accountant^[39], and a BIS grant letter reportedly says the higher of the actual fee and the minimum is payable^[38].

Miss the date and you have 90 days with a Rs 5,000 late fee, but you may not mark or dispatch goods meanwhile^[54]. A foreign licensee also extends its bank guarantee to six months beyond the new validity^[12]. A self-compliance report is mandatory at each renewal^[55]. More on ISI renewal; set a reminder with the licence renewal date tool.

Yes, and warehouses of large marketplaces have been searched. BIS reportedly searched an Amazon Sellers warehouse in Delhi on 19 March 2025 and seized over 3,500 products, including geysers and food mixers, without ISI marks or with fake ones^[56]. In 2024-25 BIS reportedly bought 344 QCO product samples online, and 142 had no valid certification^[57]. Branch offices can run surveillance for any QCO violation in their area^[47]. The seized goods in that March 2025 raid included food mixers, so this category is squarely in BIS's sights.

A BIS officer may search premises and vehicles and seize goods and documents^[58], and a court may forfeit the goods to BIS^[59]. Read selling without BIS: what happens and why shipments are held at Indian ports.

Importing, selling, storing or exhibiting mixer grinders covered by a QCO without the Standard Mark breaches section 17 of the BIS Act^[26]. The Act defines "person" to include importers, distributors, retailers and sellers^[26]. A first contravention carries a fine of at least Rs 2 lakh and up to two years' imprisonment; later ones at least Rs 5 lakh, up to ten times the value of the goods^[26]. BIS can also order a recall of non-conforming marked goods^[26].

On the environmental side, unregistered producers can be charged environmental compensation^[24]. A package without the Legal Metrology declarations draws an improvement notice for a first offence and a penalty of up to Rs 5 lakh for a second^[60].

Start with the free tools, test at a lab recognised for your standard, and use a consultant mainly for the FMCS file and factory visit. The approval checker, QCO deadline checker and compliance cost estimator answer most first questions.

BIS's LIMS on 1 November 2026 showed Delhi NCR labs recognised for IS 302, such as Accurate Test Solutions (Noida), Bharat Test House (Sonepat) and Shri Krishna Test House (New Delhi)^[61]. See Delhi NCR labs and Bengaluru labs. BIS's lab system lists complete IS 302 (Part 1):2024 testing at Rs 75,000 at Bharat Test House and Rs 3,02,000 at SGS India, Bengaluru, before tax^[62]. Browse BIS-recognised labs by city.

Consultant fees are commercial and headline prices often exclude government and lab fees^[63]. Compare scope with our BIS consultants guide and how to choose a BIS consultant, or ask us for a free compliance check.