Rules 1 and 2 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.
Rule 1 gives the Legal Metrology (General) Rules, 2011 their name and says they come into force on 1 April 2011. Rule 2 is a short definitions rule: it defines "Act", "Schedule" and "Section" and borrows every other term from the Act. The two rules are brief, so this article also maps what the rest of the General Rules contain and explains how to read the scanned text.
The General Rules were notified as G.S.R. 11(E) on 7 February 2011, under section 52 of the Legal Metrology Act, 2009, and came into force on 1 April 2011, a month after the Act itself (1 March 2011). Rule 2 defines only three terms and adds that words not defined in the rules but defined in the Act carry the Act's meanings. The Rules have 30 rules and 13 Schedules, which cover standards, equipment, weights, measures, instruments, import, registers, fees, verification, officers and director nomination.
Where the Rules come from
The notification is G.S.R. 11(E), dated 7 February 2011, issued by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution (Department of Consumer Affairs). It says the Central Government makes the rules "in exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (1) read with clauses (c), (f), (h), (i)" and one further clause (the letter is illegible in the scan) "of sub-section (2) of section 52" of the Legal Metrology Act, 2009. Section 52 is the Central Government's rule-making power; see sections 52 and 53. State Governments make their own rules under section 53, and those are not in the sources used here.
These Rules sit beside the Packaged Commodities Rules, 2011, which deal with pre-packed goods. The General Rules deal with the instruments and standards themselves. Rule 30 repeals the Standards of Weights and Measures (General) Rules, 1987, with savings. If you want a practical overview before you read the rule text, our legal consultation service can help you place your business in the right part of these Rules.
Rule 1: short title and commencement
| Sub-rule | Text |
|---|---|
| 1(1) | "These rules may be called the Legal Metrology (General) Rules, 2011." |
| 1(2) | "They shall come into force on the 1st day of April, 2011." |
The Act's own commencement is 1 March 2011, vide S.O. 1(E) dated 31 December 2010, as the footnote to section 1(3) of the Act records. See sections 1 and 3. So the Act was in force a month before the General Rules. The repeal of the 1987 General Rules and its savings are in rule 30.
Rule 2: definitions
Rule 2 reads, in substance: "In these rules, unless the context otherwise requires,"
| Clause | Term | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| (a) | "Act" | The Legal Metrology Act, 2009 (1 of 2010) |
| (b) | "Schedule" | A Schedule appended to these rules |
| (c) | "Section" | A Section of the Act |
| (d) | Other words and expressions | Words used in these rules and not defined but defined in the Act have the meanings assigned to them in the Act |
Why clause (d) matters
The real definitions sit in section 2 of the Act: "legal metrology officer", "transaction", "verification", "weight or measure" and the rest. A rule that speaks of a weight or measure used in a transaction takes both expressions from the Act. If you want those definitions in full, see our note on the definitions in section 2. Two points are worth remembering:
- The General Rules do not define "reference standard", "secondary standard" or "working standard". Those terms get their content from the Act (section 9) and from the specifications in the Schedules (see rules 3 to 6).
- The Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2026 inserts a new clause (ea) "improvement notice" in section 2 of the Act. It comes into force only from the date the Central Government notifies; check the notification. Because rule 2(d) borrows from the Act, the new term would flow into the Rules only if and when the Act is amended in force.
A map of the General Rules
The rules and Schedules are in the table below. The scan of the gazette is a two-column OCR with garbling, so the headings are listed only where legible.
| Chapter | Rules | Subject |
|---|---|---|
| I | 1 to 2 | Preliminary: title, commencement, definitions |
| II | 3 to 6 | Specifications of reference, secondary and working standards; power to specify others |
| III | 7 to 10 | Specifications of standard equipment: reference, secondary and working standard balances; power to specify other equipment |
| IV | 11 to 14 | Weights, measures (other than measuring instruments), weighing and measuring instruments, calibration of vehicle tanks |
| V | 15 to 20 | Import of weights and measures: registration of importer; manufacture exclusively for export; checking of samples |
| (Later rules) | 21 to 30 | Non-standard weights for research (21); disposal of seized goods (22); ten-day verification (23); registers (24); fees (25); regional languages (26); periodical verification (27); qualifications of Legal Metrology Officer (28); nomination of Director by a company (29); repeal and savings (30) |
The chapter numbers for the later rules are not legible in the scan, so only the rule numbers and headings are given for those.
The thirteen Schedules
The index in the scan lists them as follows.
| Schedule | Subject |
|---|---|
| First | Reference standards: Part I weights, Part II metre bar |
| Second | Secondary standards: Part I weights, Part II metre bar, Part III capacity measures |
| Third | Working standards: Part I weights, Part II metre bar, Part III capacity measures |
| Fourth | Standard equipment: Part I reference balances, Part II secondary balances, Part III working balances |
| Fifth | Weights: Part I (other than carat weights), Part II carat weights, Part III standard weights for testing high capacity weighing machines |
| Sixth | Measures: liquid capacity, dispensing, liquor, non-flexible length measures, folding scales, fabric or plastic tapes, steel tapes, surveying chains, tapes for oil quantities |
| Seventh | Specifications for weighing instruments (non-automatic, beam scales, counter machines, automatic rail weighbridge, automatic gravimetric filling, discontinuous totalizing) |
| Eighth | Specifications for measuring instruments (volumetric container filling machines, bulk and water meters, liquid measuring systems, clinical thermometers, sphygmomanometers, taximeters, CNG systems) |
| Ninth | Procedure for calibration of vehicle tanks and oil storage tanks |
| Tenth | Application for registration of importer of weights and measures |
| Eleventh | Register to be maintained by manufacturers, dealers and repairers |
| Twelfth | Scale of fee |
| Thirteenth | Format for nomination of the Director by a company |
Most of the First to Ninth Schedules are technical tables and diagrams. In the scan, many numerals and headings are damaged, so a figure in any of these Schedules should be read from the gazette and not from a scanned copy.
What rules 1 and 2 do not say
- They do not say who is bound. The duties are in later rules, for example rule 11 for weights and rule 15 for importers.
- They do not apply to State Rules. State Governments make rules under section 53, including licence procedure, which the General Rules do not cover (the existing guide on General Rules and licence procedure should be read with that in mind).
- They do not amend or repeat the Act. The Jan Vishwas Acts of 2023 and 2026 amend the Act and do not amend these Rules.
Practical examples
Example 1. A weighing-machine repairer asks when the Rules came into force. Rule 1(2) says 1 April 2011, and rule 30 repeals the 1987 General Rules with savings.
Example 2. A student reads "transaction" in rule 27 and cannot find it in rule 2. Rule 2(d) sends the reader to section 2 of the Act.
Need help placing your business under the General Rules?
Manufacturers, dealers, repairers, importers and users of weights and measures each meet different parts of these Rules. Our legal consultation service can help you map which rules and Schedules apply to you and what State rules add.
Key takeaways
- The Legal Metrology (General) Rules, 2011 were notified as G.S.R. 11(E) on 7 February 2011 and came into force on 1 April 2011.
- Rule 2 defines Act, Schedule and Section and borrows other terms from the Act.
- The Rules have 30 rules and 13 Schedules: standards, equipment, weights, measures, instruments, import, registers, fees, verification, officers and director nomination.
- The 1987 General Rules were repealed by rule 30, with savings.
- The scan of the Rules is garbled in places; read figures from the gazette.
- State rules under section 53 are separate and not covered here.
Read next
- Rules 3, 4, 5 and 6 of the General Rules: Reference, secondary and working standards
- Rules 7 to 10 of the General Rules: Standard balances and equipment
- Sections 52 and 53 of the Legal Metrology Act, 2009: Rule-making powers
- Legal Metrology (General) Rules 2011: licence procedure
Disclaimer: Based on the Legal Metrology (General) Rules, 2011 (G.S.R. 11(E); the source is a two-column scan with garbling, so figures must be checked against the gazette) and the Legal Metrology Act, 2009 (Act 1 of 2010) as enacted, read with the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2023 (in force) and the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2026 (in force only from the date the Central Government notifies), as on 30 September 2026. State Legal Metrology rules, later amendments and notifications change; verify the current position before acting.