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.
A Government Approved Test Centre is a person approved by the Central Government to verify the weights and measures listed in the First Schedule. Rules 1 to 4 give the name and start date, define the terms, say which items the centres verify, and set the general conditions on the list of centres and the standards they must keep.
These rules are as amended up to the Government Approved Test Centre Second Amendment Rules, 2026 (17 June 2026); later amendments should be checked on the Department of Consumer Affairs website. If you want to set up a test centre or understand which of your instruments must go to one, a legal consultation is a useful start.
A Government Approved Test Centre (GATC) is a person approved by the Central Government to verify weights or measures specified in the rules. The First Schedule, as substituted on 8 May 2026, lists 23 kinds of weights and measures, from water meters to hydrogen dispensers, plus any other weight or measure prescribed by the State Government. Since 2025 these items are verified either by a test centre or by the legal metrology officers. The list of recognised centres is notified from time to time.
Rule 1: title and commencement
The rules were notified as G.S.R. 593(E) on the 5th September, 2013, by the Central Government under section 52(1) read with clauses (n), (o) and (p) of section 52(2) of the Legal Metrology Act, 2009. Rule 1(1) names them the Legal Metrology (Government Approved Test Centre) Rules, 2013; rule 1(2) brings them into force on the date of publication in the Official Gazette. They have Chapters I to IV and the Schedules.
Rule 2: definitions
- "Act": the Legal Metrology Act, 2009.
- "Government Approved Test Centre": a person who has been approved by the Central Government to undertake verification of weights or measures specified in the rules.
- "Principal Officer": the officer in charge of the Government Approved Test Centre.
- "Schedule": a Schedule appended to the rules.
Words not defined in the rules but defined in the Act carry the Act's meanings (rule 2(2)). For the Act's provision on verification and test centres, see our post on section 24, and for the overview post Government Approved Test Centres (GATC).
Rule 3: verification by a test centre
Rule 3(1), as substituted in 2025
Rule 3(1) now says: the weights and measures specified in the First Schedule shall either be verified by a Government Approved Test Centre or by the legal metrology officers. Before 2025 the rule said they "shall be verified by" a test centre. The change puts the legal metrology officers alongside the test centres as an alternative verifying authority for the First Schedule items.
Rule 3(2)
Any person can apply for one or more kinds of weights and measures for verification. A person who wants recognition, therefore, can ask for a single kind (say, water meters) or several.
The First Schedule: 23 kinds of weights and measures
The First Schedule has been replaced three times: the 2013 list had ten items, the 2025 amendment substituted a list of eighteen, and the Amendment Rules, 2026 (G.S.R. 346(E), 8 May 2026) substituted the present list. Only the 2026 list is current. It reads:
- Water meter
- Sphygmomanometer
- Clinical thermometer
- Automatic rail weighbridges
- Tape measures
- Non-automatic weighing instruments of Accuracy Class III (up to 150 kg)
- Non-automatic weighing instruments of Accuracy Class IIII
- Load cell
- Beam scale
- Counter machine
- Weights of all category
- Gas meters
- Energy meters
- Moisture meters
- Speed meters for vehicles
- Breath analyzers
- Multi-dimensional measuring instruments
- Flow meters
- Petrol or diesel dispenser
- CNG dispenser
- LPG dispenser
- LNG dispenser
- Hydrogen dispenser
Part (ii) of the Schedule adds: any other weight or measure prescribed by the State Government.
For the fees charged by a centre for verifying each item, see our article on rule 7 and the Fifth Schedule.
Rule 4: general provisions
- List of centres (rule 4(1)). The list of recognised Government Approved Test Centres is notified from time to time. Check the Department of Consumer Affairs website for the current list.
- Standards for verification (rule 4(2)). A centre carries out verification of weights or measures as specified in the rules, according to the specifications in the Legal Metrology (General) Rules, 2011 and the recommendations of the International Organization of Legal Metrology, as the case may be, as advised by the Director, Legal Metrology from time to time.
- Standards the centre must keep (rule 4(3)). A centre maintains standard weights or measures as specified in the General Rules, and other instruments and equipment as advised by the Director. See our post on rules 3 to 6 of the General Rules for those standards.
The amendment chain
| Year | G.S.R. | What changed |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 94(E), 20 January 2016 | Rule 5(3)(e) and (f) reworded; rule 5(3)(h) replaced by conditions to set up; rule 5(8) appeal to the Secretary; Second Schedule replaced |
| 2021 | 95(E), 1 February 2021 | Rule 5(17) inserted: NABL or ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accredited calibration laboratories can be notified as test centres |
| 2025 | 779(E), 23 October 2025 | Rules 3(1), 5(1), 5(3A), 5(16), 5(18), 7(1), 8(4), 10 and 18 changed; First Schedule substituted; Second Schedule note changed; Fifth Schedule inserted |
| 2026 | 346(E), 8 May 2026 | Rule 5(4) authority changed; First Schedule substituted again with 23 items; Fifth Schedule items 19 to 23 added |
| 2026 | 489(E), 17 June 2026 | Rule 18(3) substituted: renewal fee |
Each later article in this series covers the rules these amendments touched: rule 5, rules 6 to 12 and the rest.
Who is affected
| Person | Effect of rules 1 to 4 |
|---|---|
| Manufacturers, importers, dealers and users of First Schedule items | Their instruments are verified by a test centre or by legal metrology officers |
| Laboratories and calibration firms | May apply to become a test centre for one or more kinds |
| Principal Officer of a centre | Responsible for conducting verification as per the General Rules and keeping standards |
| State Governments | May prescribe other weights and measures that fall in the First Schedule, part (ii) |
A practical example
Aarav Calibration Pvt Ltd, a Gurugram laboratory, wants to verify clinical thermometers and sphygmomanometers. Under rule 3(2) it can apply for these two kinds only. Both are on the First Schedule list. When approved, it will be on the notified list under rule 4(1), and must hold the standards that the General Rules and the Director's advice require (rule 4(3)). An instrument owner who prefers can still take the item to the legal metrology officers, since rule 3(1) now allows either route.
Common lapses
- Using the earlier ten-item or eighteen-item list; only the 2026 list is current.
- Assuming that a State's own list is the First Schedule; part (ii) lets a State prescribe other items in addition.
- Applying as a test centre without the standards required under rule 4(3).
- Treating the list of centres as fixed; it is notified from time to time.
Need help with a test centre application?
If you plan to apply as a test centre or need to know where your instruments must be verified, we can walk through the rules with you. Book a legal consultation.
Key takeaways
- A Government Approved Test Centre is a person approved by the Central Government to verify specified weights and measures.
- The 2026 First Schedule lists 23 kinds plus any other weight or measure prescribed by the State Government.
- Since 2025, First Schedule items are verified by a test centre or by legal metrology officers.
- Anyone can apply for one or more kinds of weights and measures.
- The list of centres is notified from time to time.
- Five amendments from 2016 to June 2026 shaped the present text.
Read next
- Rule 5: how to apply for recognition as a test centre
- Rules 6–12: duties, verification mark, records and place of verification
- Section 24 of the Legal Metrology Act, 2009: verification, stamping and test centres
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.