Rule 10 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 10 adds detail to rule 6(1)(a). It says what "complete address" means, when a mark is enough on a tiny pack, what happens when goods made abroad are packed in India, and which name must be used: the actual corporate name, or the trading name if not incorporated.
Every package kept, offered, exposed for sale or sold must bear conspicuously the name and complete address of the manufacturer, of the packer too where different, and for imports the importer. Complete address means the postal address of the factory or the registered company or firm, or else street, number, city and State or PIN code details that let a consumer locate the business. Packs of ten cubic centimetres or less may use a mark or inscription. The name is the actual corporate name.
Relationship with rule 6
Rule 10(1) begins "Subject to the provisions of rule 6". Rule 6(1)(a) is the duty to declare the manufacturer, packer or importer name and address, including the three Explanations that decide liability (see our article on rule 6(1)(a)). Rule 10 is the detail: it says how conspicuous, how complete and in what name. Food packages are carved out of rule 6(1)(a) by its Explanation III, which points to the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. Rule 10 has no such carve-out in the text, so read the two together and check the food law for food labels; our FSSAI label compliance service covers both.
The text used here is the Packaged Commodities Rules as amended up to G.S.R. 226(E) of 28 March 2022.
Rule 10(1): who is named and how
The sub-rule reads: "every package kept, offered or exposed for sale or sold shall bear conspicuously on it, the name and complete address of the manufacturer, or where the manufacturer is not the packer, the name and address of the manufacturer and the packer and in case of imported packages, the name and address of the importer".
| Situation | Who is named |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer and packer are the same | The manufacturer |
| Manufacturer is not the packer | Both |
| Imported package | The importer |
The phrase "kept, offered or exposed for sale or sold" places the duty on the package at every stage of the sale chain, not only at packing.
First proviso: very small packs
For packages of capacity 10 cubic centimetres or less (the text shows "5 cubic cm" replaced by "10 cubic cm"), "it shall be a sufficient compliance of this sub-rule, if a mark or inscription which would enable the consumer to identify the manufacturer or packer or the importer, as the case may be, is made on the package". The printed footnote attributes the substitution to G.S.R. 629(E) of 23 June 2017; the same change also appears against rules 7 and 12, where the footnote cites G.S.R. 385(E) of 14 May 2015, so the source is not consistent on the notification. The current figure in the text is ten.
Second proviso: made abroad, packed in India
Where any commodity manufactured outside India is packed in India, the package shall also contain on the principal display panel the name and complete address of the packer or the importer in India. This is the one place in rule 10 that names the principal display panel for the address. Rule 8(1) still requires all declarations on it (see rules 8 and 9).
The Explanation: what "complete address" means
The consolidation prints the Explanation in layers.
- Original: "complete address" means the postal address at which the factory is situated, and in any other case the street, number (if any) and either the city and State where the business is carried on or the PIN code.
- 2015 change (G.S.R. 385(E), w.e.f. 1 July 2016): the words "at which the factory is situated" became "at which the company or firm is registered".
- 2017 text (G.S.R. 629(E), w.e.f. 1 January 2018), headed Explanation 1: "complete address" means the postal address at which the factory is situated or company or firm is registered, and in any other case, the name of the street, number (if any) assigned to the premises of the manufacturer or packer or importer and the name of the city and State where the business is carried on, and the PIN code, so that a consumer can identify and locate the manufacturer, packer or importer.
The later text joins the city and State with the PIN code by "and", where the original had "either ... or". The test in the final words is practical: can a consumer identify and locate the business from what is printed. The rule does not say whether a registered office that is not where the goods are made is enough; it says "factory is situated or company or firm is registered", so either appears to do, but it does not address a packer whose factory and registered office differ beyond that wording.
Rule 10(2): the name to use
"The name of the manufacturer or packer or importer shall be the actual corporate name, or if not incorporated, the name under which the business is conducted by such manufacturer or packer or importer in India."
- A company uses its registered corporate name, not a short brand name.
- A proprietor or partnership uses the name under which the business is conducted in India.
- For an importer, the phrase "in India" ties the name to the Indian business.
A brand name may appear, but it cannot stand in for the corporate name. Rule 6(1)(a), Explanation II, deals with a brand owner named as a marketer.
Why it matters in an inspection
The address line tells an inspecting officer whom to proceed against, and Explanations I and II to rule 6(1)(a) decide who is treated as the manufacturer. An incomplete address on a pack is a non-conformity with the declarations. The penalty for a package that does not conform to the declarations is in section 36 of the Act; see section 36.
Practical examples
Example 1. A sauce company's pack says "Mfd by Tasty Foods, Delhi". Under the 2017 Explanation, the address must be the postal address of the factory or the registered company, or street, number, city, State and PIN code, so that a consumer can locate it. "Delhi" alone falls short.
Example 2. A foreign brand's shampoo is made abroad, filled into bottles in India by a contract packer. Under the second proviso, the principal display panel must carry the name and complete address of the packer or importer in India.
Example 3. A 6 ml sample sachet has no room for an address. The first proviso allows a mark or inscription that lets the consumer identify the manufacturer, packer or importer.
Need help with address and name lines?
An address block that looks complete to the business can fail the "identify and locate" test. Our FSSAI label compliance service can review your address blocks, importer lines and corporate-name usage before you print.
Key takeaways
- The package must bear conspicuously the name and complete address of the manufacturer, packer (if different) or importer.
- "Complete address" means the factory or registered company or firm address, or street, number, city, State and PIN code, so a consumer can locate the business.
- Packs of ten cubic centimetres or less may carry a mark or inscription instead.
- Goods made abroad and packed in India must show the Indian packer or importer on the principal display panel.
- The name is the actual corporate name, or the business name in India if not incorporated.
Read next
- Rule 6 of the Packaged Commodities Rules, 2011: Name, address and country of origin
- Rules 8 and 9 of the Packaged Commodities Rules, 2011: Where and how declarations appear
- Rules 11 and 12 of the Packaged Commodities Rules, 2011: Declaration of quantity
- Packer registration under the Packaged Commodities Rules
Disclaimer: Based on the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011 (as amended up to March 2022; check later amendments), read with the Legal Metrology Act, 2009 (Act 1 of 2010), as on 30 September 2026. 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) amend the Act's penalty sections, not rule 10. State Legal Metrology rules, later amendments and notifications change; verify the current position before acting.