Rule 13 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 13 tells a packer which unit to use once the quantity is known. Below a kilogram, use grams. From a kilogram, use kilograms. The same pattern runs for length, area and volume. The rule also bars dozens and gross, insists on International System units, and requires a supplementary declaration on multipacks.
Under 13(2), quantities less than one kilogram use the gram, less than one metre the centimetre, and less than one litre the millilitre. Under 13(3), quantities equal to or more than those thresholds use the kilogram, metre or litre, with fractions as decimals or sub-units. Dozen, score, gross and great gross may not appear on a package. Only International System units may be used. A multipack must show the number of packs and the quantity of each.
Where rule 13 sits
Rule 6(1)(c) requires the net quantity "in terms of the standard unit of weight or measure" or by number. Rule 12 selects the kind of unit (mass, length, area, volume or number) and rule 13 selects the unit and its size. See rules 11 and 12. Section 11 of the Act separately requires quoting in standard units; see sections 11 and 12 of the Act. The text used here is the Packaged Commodities Rules as amended up to G.S.R. 226(E) of 28 March 2022. Unit mistakes are among the quickest label errors to fix, and our FSSAI label compliance service checks them along with the other declarations.
Rule 13(2): less than the threshold
When expressing a quantity less than:
| Threshold | Unit to use |
|---|---|
| One kilogram | Gram |
| One metre | Centimetre |
| One square metre | Square decimetre |
| One cubic metre | Cubic centimetre |
| One cubic decimetre | Cubic centimetre |
| One litre | Millilitre |
The text as printed gives two items for volume in cubic units (clauses (d) and (e)), one for less than one cubic metre and one for less than one cubic decimetre, both in cubic centimetres. We reproduce it as printed. Most packs are declared by weight or by litre, so clauses (a) and (f) matter most.
Rule 13(3): equal to or more than the threshold
When expressing a quantity equal to or more than:
- one kilogram, the unit is the kilogram, and any fraction is expressed as a decimal of sub-multiples of the kilogram, or in grams;
- one metre, the unit is the metre, and any fraction as a decimal of sub-multiples, or in centimetres;
- one square metre, the square metre, with fractions as decimals of sub-multiples;
- one cubic metre, the cubic metre, with fractions as decimal sub-multiples;
- one litre, the litre, with fractions as decimal sub-multiples.
The proviso says that where the quantity is exactly one kilogram, metre, square metre, cubic decimetre, cubic metre or litre, it may be expressed, at the option of the manufacturer, packer or importer, in grams, centimetres, square decimetres, cubic centimetres, cubic decimetres or millilitres as the case may be. So a pack of exactly one litre may say "1 L" or "1000 ml".
A detail to note: the printed clause (e) says "one litre", where the pattern for the other units says "equal to or more than". The lead-in to sub-rule (3) covers all five clauses, so it is read as "equal to or more than" throughout. The proviso also names "cubic decimetre", which has no clause of its own in (3). We do not go beyond the printed text.
Rule 13(4): no dozen or gross
"No number called the dozen, score, gross, great gross or the like shall be specified or indicated on any package." A pack of 12 pens must say 12, not "1 dozen".
Rule 13(5): SI units and items sold by number
Sub-rule (5) has two parts.
- (i) "No system of units other than the International System of Units shall be used in furnishing the net quantity of the packages". Ounces, pounds and pints cannot be used as the declared quantity.
- (ii) For items sold by number, the original text said "the symbol should be N or U". G.S.R. 779(E) of 2 November 2021 (w.e.f. 1 April 2022, now 1 October 2022) substituted: "for items sold by number, the number or unit or piece or pair or set or such other word which represents the quantity in the package shall be mentioned."
Read with the substitution, a pack may say "10 pieces", "1 pair" or "1 set", and the old "N" or "U" symbol is no longer the stated requirement.
An Explanation (inserted by G.S.R. 385(E) of 14 May 2015) says that for the litre the letter "L" may be adopted to avoid confusion with the letter "I" and the figure "1".
The consolidation says "it is clarified" of this Explanation for "the unit for litre", which means an importer or packer using "L" is acting within the Rules. The text does not make "L" compulsory.
Rule 13(6): multipacks
Inserted by G.S.R. 385(E) of 14 May 2015: "where there are number of packages of the same commodity in a prepackage, the number of packages and the quantity of each package shall be indicated as a supplementary quantity declaration in the package."
The Explanation gives an example: where the net quantity of a package is one hundred grams, the number of packages multiplied by the net quantity of each shall be separately indicated "in numbers multiplied by its individual weight (i.e 10 number x 10 gram)". The example as printed is internally puzzling: it speaks of a package of one hundred grams and then shows 10 x 10 gram, which does make 100 g. The intent is that a 100 g multipack of ten 10 g sachets shows "10 x 10 g" as well as the total.
Practical examples
Example 1. A jar of jam weighs 750 g. It is under a kilogram, so rule 13(2)(a) requires grams: "750 g", not "0.75 kg".
Example 2. A bottle holds exactly one litre. The proviso lets the packer write "1 L" or "1000 ml".
Example 3. A carton contains ten sachets of 10 g each. Rule 13(6) requires the supplementary declaration "10 x 10 g" in addition to the 100 g total.
Example 4. A pack of eggs is declared "1 dozen". Rule 13(4) bars it; "12" is required.
Need help with unit and multipack labelling?
Multipacks and mixed-unit ranges are where unit rules get broken most often, because one SKU may need two declarations. Our FSSAI label compliance service can review the unit on each SKU and the multipack line on your cartons.
Key takeaways
- Less than a kilogram, metre or litre: gram, centimetre or millilitre. From those thresholds: kilogram, metre or litre.
- Exactly one kilogram or one litre may be shown in grams or millilitres at the packer's option.
- Dozen, score, gross and great gross are barred.
- Only International System units may be used; items sold by number use the number, unit, piece, pair, set or similar word.
- Multipacks show the number of packs and the quantity of each as a supplementary declaration.
Read next
- Rules 11 and 12 of the Packaged Commodities Rules, 2011: Declaration of quantity
- Rules 14, 15, 16 and 17 of the Packaged Commodities Rules, 2011: Dimensions, sheets and container declarations
- Section 11 and 12 of the Legal Metrology Act, 2009: Quoting in standard units
- Standard units of weights and measures in India
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 13. State Legal Metrology rules, later amendments and notifications change; verify the current position before acting.