Rules explained: this guide covers what it means, who it applies to, the step-by-step process, documents required, fees, due dates and penalties in India — so you can stay compliant with confidence and avoid costly mistakes.
Rules 1 and 2 are the opening rules of the Approval of Models Rules: they give the name and the start date, and they define the words "Act", "Model" and "Principal Officer". Read with the rest of the rules, they also tell you who has to get a model approved: a manufacturer or importer of a weight or measure, before a licence to manufacture or import is issued.
These rules are as amended up to the Approval of Models (Amendment) Rules, 2019; later amendments should be checked on the Department of Consumer Affairs website. If you are unsure whether your instrument falls within these rules, a short legal consultation before you start the application can save a delayed licence.
The rules were made by the Central Government under section 52 of the Legal Metrology Act, 2009 and came into force on the 1st day of April, 2011. A model is the final physical representation of a weight or measure with all its components assembled, so that every piece produced to it is similar in dimensions, construction, material, performance and other metrological and technical characteristics. The Principal Officer is the officer in charge of the laboratory. A weight or measure cannot be licensed for manufacture or import in a State unless the Central Government has granted a certificate of approval of its model under section 22 of the Act.
Where these rules come from
The rules are a notification of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution (Department of Consumer Affairs), G.S.R. 183(E), dated the 1st March, 2011. The Central Government made them in exercise of the powers in section 52(1) read with section 52(2)(m) of the Legal Metrology Act, 2009. For the rule-making power itself, see our post on sections 52 and 53 of the Act.
Rule 1(1) gives the short title: the Legal Metrology (Approval of Models) Rules, 2011. Rule 1(2) says they come into force on the 1st day of April, 2011. There is no separate date for any chapter, and the rules have no Schedule. The notified formats used with them came later, in 2014, and are covered in our articles on laboratory recognition and on the application for approval.
Rule 2: the definitions
Rule 2(1) opens with "unless the context otherwise requires" and then defines three terms that matter in practice.
- "Act" (clause (a)) means the Legal Metrology Act, 2009.
- "Model" (clause (b)) means the final physical representation of a weight or measure in which all the components that give it its metrological and technical characteristics and qualities, as provided in the Act and the rules, are suitably assembled. The purpose of the definition is stated in the same clause: subject to the prescribed tolerances, every weight or measure produced in accordance with the model should be similar as regards dimensions, construction, material, performance and other metrological and technical characteristics.
- "Principal Officer" (clause (d)) means the officer who is in charge of the laboratory.
Rule 2(2) adds that words and expressions used in the rules but not defined there, and defined in the Act, carry the meanings given in the Act.
What the definition of "model" means for a manufacturer
The definition is built around the finished product. What is approved is not a drawing, a component or a brochure: it is the assembled instrument as it will be made. That is why the rules later ask for photographs, circuit diagrams and the places for sealing (rule 5), why the laboratory tests the model itself (rules 6 and 7), and why a significant change to the approved design or the circuit diagram is a ground for revoking the certificate (rule 13).
The words "every weight or measure produced in accordance with such model" also explain the scope of an approval: it covers pieces made to that model, within the prescribed tolerances. Models of different denominations of an approved weight or measure do not need fresh approval where they are made on the same principles and with the same material (rule 8(9)); that rule is explained in our article on issue of the certificate.
What the definition of "Principal Officer" means for a laboratory
The Principal Officer is a position, not a named person. Under rule 4(2), an application for recognition of a laboratory has to be made by the Principal Officer; under rule 4(8) and 4(9), the Principal Officer permits inspections and sends the annual report to the Director; and rule 4(10) makes the Principal Officer responsible for following the test procedures the Director prescribes. In the 2014 notification of recognised laboratories, the head of the office recognised by the Department is treated as the Principal Officer of the laboratory.
Who needs model approval
Section 22 of the Act is where the requirement to get a model approved is created; read our post on section 22 for the Act's own text. The Approval of Models Rules supply the machinery. Three rules show who is expected to act:
- Manufacturers and importers. Rule 5(1)(a) says the application is made to the Director by the applicant; where the model is imported from other countries, it states the name and address of the foreign manufacturer as well as of the dealer in India.
- State licensing authorities. Rule 20(1) says that, before issuing a licence for manufacturing or importing any weight or measure, the State Government must satisfy itself that the Central Government has granted a certificate of approval of the model under section 22. If the certificate is later revoked, the State licence for that model stands suspended (rule 20(2)).
- Government buyers and the Director. Rule 17 deals with weights and measures for which model approval is ordinarily not necessary: an officer acquiring such an item can tell the Director that the model needs testing.
The testing fee in rule 19, as substituted in 2019, applies to models "intended to be manufactured or imported for transaction or protection". Importers should also read the Act's rules on registration in our post on sections 19 and 20, since model approval and importer registration are separate steps.
The 21 rules at a glance
| Chapter | Rules | Subject |
|---|---|---|
| I: Preliminary | 1 and 2 | Short title and commencement; definitions |
| II: Recognition of Laboratories | 3 and 4 | General provisions on laboratories; recognition, provisional recognition, suspension, inspection, annual report, cancellation |
| III: Approval of Models | 5 | Application for approval of a model |
| III | 6 and 7 | Submission of the model; tests for approval |
| III | 8, 9 and 10 | Procedure for issue of the certificate; where issue is not recommended; re-submission of a disapproved model |
| III | 11 to 16 | Contents of the certificate; mark of approval; revocation; suspension; publication of orders; deposit of models or drawings |
| III | 17 and 18 | Weights or measures for which approval is ordinarily not necessary; testing of substitute materials |
| III | 19 | Fees for testing a model |
| III | 20 and 21 | Licence to manufacture; repeal and savings |
The 2019 amendment in three lines
- The Approval of Models (Amendment) Rules, 2019 (G.S.R. 823(E), 6th November, 2019, in force on publication) omitted rule 11(2): the certificate no longer "becomes effective" on publication in the Official Gazette.
- It substituted rule 11(4): the Director publishes the model approval certificates issued under section 22 on the website of the Department.
- It substituted rule 19: the testing fee is paid by demand draft in favour of the laboratory or by online payment, at rupees ten thousand for a mechanical type and rupees twenty-five thousand for a digital or electronic type.
A practical example
Anand Weighing Systems, a Pune-based maker of electronic platform scales, wants to start production of a new model. Before applying for its manufacturing licence from the State, it applies to the Director for approval of the model. Its application names the company and address; the laboratory tests the assembled instrument, not the drawings alone. A Mumbai importer of digital counter scales follows the same route, giving the foreign maker's name and address and its own as dealer in India.
Need help with model approval?
If you manufacture or import weighing or measuring instruments and want a clear view of the sequence of steps before you apply, our team can walk through the rules with you. Start with a legal consultation and bring the instrument description you plan to submit.
Key takeaways
- The Approval of Models Rules, 2011 came into force on the 1st day of April, 2011 and have no Schedule.
- "Model" is the assembled, final physical representation of a weight or measure; every piece made to it should be similar within the prescribed tolerances.
- The "Principal Officer" is the officer in charge of the laboratory.
- A State licence to manufacture or import needs a prior certificate of approval granted by the Central Government under section 22 (rule 20).
- The 2019 amendment changed rule 11 (publication on the Department's website) and rule 19 (testing fees).
- The penalty for failing to get a model approved is in section 32 of the Act; see the linked post.
Read next
- Rules 3 and 4: recognition of laboratories for testing models
- Rules 5 and 19: application for model approval and testing fee
- Legal Metrology (Approval of Models) Rules 2011: overview
- Section 22 of the Legal Metrology Act, 2009: approval of model
Disclaimer: Based on the Legal Metrology (Approval of Models) Rules, 2011 (as amended in 2019), the Legal Metrology (Government Approved Test Centre) Rules, 2013 (as amended up to 17 June 2026), the Legal Metrology (National Standards) Rules, 2011 (as amended in 2019), the Legal Metrology (Numeration) Rules, 2011 and the Indian Institute of Legal Metrology Rules, 2011, as published in the Gazette of India and consulted on 4 October 2026. Later amendments, current fees and the Legal Metrology Act, 2009 provisions referred to should be checked on the Department of Consumer Affairs website. This article is general information, not legal advice; check the official text before acting.