Rules 19 and 20 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.
Goods meant for export do not go through the usual verification and stamping. Rules 19 and 20 say so, and then give the overseas buyer a way to ask for an independent check. Rule 19 is for standard weights and measures; rule 20 is for non-standard ones made for export under rule 16. If export is part of your plan, an IEC registration is a separate step that we can help with.
Weights and measures intended for export ordinarily need no verification and stamping (rules 19(1) and 20(1)). If the buyer requires it, a sample check is made by an agency the Central Government specifies, which issues a certificate. For standard goods the certificate says whether they conform to the Act and rules; for non-standard goods, whether they conform to the buyer's specifications or, if the buyer gave none, the manufacturer's. Samples are chosen at random and records are kept. The agency must finish in time so export is not delayed. Rule 20(3) sets the fee basis.
Rule 19: standard weights and measures for export
Rule 19(1) says that standard weights or measures "which are intended for export shall not ordinarily require any verification and stamping". The exception is conditional: "but if the party to whom the export is to be made so requires, a sample checking of such weight or measure shall be made by such agency as the Central Government may specify in this behalf".
After the check, "the agency so specified shall ... issue a certificate indicating whether or not such weight or measure conforms to the requirements of the Act and the rules made thereunder."
| Element | Rule 19 |
|---|---|
| Default | No verification and stamping for export goods |
| Trigger | The party to whom export is to be made requires a check |
| Who checks | An agency specified by the Central Government |
| Result | Certificate saying whether the goods conform to the Act and rules |
| Selection | Random (19(2)) |
| Timing | Checking must be completed in good time (19(3)) |
Random selection and records (19(2)). The weight or measure to be checked "shall be selected at random and proper records shall be maintained with regard to the sample checking so made."
Speed (19(3)). The Central Government "shall, while specifying the agency ... ensure that the agency completes the checking well in time so that the export of the weight or measure is not delayed by reason of such checking."
The rule does not name the agency, a form for the request, a fee or a time limit. Those are matters for the Central Government's specification. This rule should be read with the Act's own verification requirement in section 24, which applies to weights and measures used in transactions or for protection; rule 19 is the export-side relaxation.
Rule 20: non-standard weights and measures for export
Rule 20 repeats the structure for goods made under rules 16 to 18. A non-standard weight or measure "made or manufactured exclusively for export, shall not ordinarily require any verification and stamping, but if the party to whom the export is to be made so requires, a sample checking ... shall be made by such agency as the Central Government may specify".
The difference lies in the yardstick. The agency's certificate indicates "whether or not such weight or measure conforms to the specifications given by the party to whom the export is to be made or, where the party aforesaid has not given any specification, whether the weight or measure conforms to the specifications laid down by the manufacturer."
So a non-standard item is not tested against the Indian standard, which it would fail by definition. It is tested against the buyer's own specification, or failing that the manufacturer's.
Random sample and records (20(2)). Same as rule 19(2).
Fee (20(3)). The fee for checking any non-standard weight or measure shall be:
- if it is similar to a standard weight or measure, equal to the fee for verification and stamping of that standard weight or measure; and
- if it is not similar to any standard weight or measure, such amount as the Central Government may specify, "commensurate with the labour involved in checking".
Rule 25 sends the scale of fees for services to the Twelfth Schedule; see our article on rules 25 and 26. That Schedule's body is not in our source copy, so we state no amount.
Speed (20(4)). As in rule 19(3), the agency must complete the checking well in time so that export is not delayed.
Rule 19 and rule 20 compared
| Point | Rule 19 | Rule 20 |
|---|---|---|
| Goods | Standard weights or measures intended for export | Non-standard weights or measures made exclusively for export |
| Verification and stamping | Not ordinarily required | Not ordinarily required |
| Check on buyer's request | Yes | Yes |
| Certificate tests against | The Act and rules | Buyer's specification, else the manufacturer's |
| Fee stated | Not stated in the rule | Yes, in 20(3) |
Why this matters to exporters
- Verification is not a condition of export. An exporter of standard weights need not get each item verified and stamped merely to ship it. Whether some other law or the buyer's contract requires it is outside these rules.
- A certificate can be a commercial tool. The certificate is issued by an agency the Central Government specifies, so it carries more weight with a foreign buyer than the maker's own statement. The rules do not say how the buyer or the maker makes the request; ask the Central Government's office which agency is specified at present.
- Keep the goods export-only. A weight made for export under rule 16 that leaks into the Indian market breaches rule 17 and endangers the permission. A non-standard item sold locally would be a non-standard weight under section 25; that section was amended by the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2023 (in force), and the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2026 is enacted but in force only from the date the Central Government notifies.
Examples
Example 1: a buyer asks for a check. A manufacturer ships standard brass weights to a distributor abroad. The distributor asks for a sample check. The agency picks weights at random from the consignment, checks them and issues a certificate saying whether they conform to the Act and rules, and records the sample checking.
Example 2: a custom weight. A manufacturer makes non-standard weights to a foreign customer's drawing. On the customer's request the agency checks a random sample against the drawing's specification. If the customer had given no specification, the check would be against the manufacturer's own.
Common mistakes
- Assuming export goods must be verified and stamped like home-trade goods.
- Expecting a non-standard item to be tested against the Indian standard.
- Forgetting that the sample checking records must be kept.
Need help with export compliance?
If you are preparing export shipments of weights or measures and want the registrations and paperwork lined up, our IEC registration page explains how we can assist, and we can also cover the legal metrology side of the file.
Key takeaways
- Export weights and measures ordinarily need no verification and stamping.
- On the buyer's request, a Central Government specified agency makes a random sample check and issues a certificate.
- Standard goods are checked against the Act and rules; non-standard goods against the buyer's or manufacturer's specification.
- Rule 20(3) ties the fee to the verification fee or to labour involved.
- The agency must not delay the export.
Read next
- Rules 16, 17 and 18 of the Legal Metrology (General) Rules, 2011: Non-standard weights for export
- Rule 21 of the Legal Metrology (General) Rules, 2011: Non-standard weights for scientific research
- Verification and Stamping of Weights and Measures
- Prohibition of Non-Standard Weights and Measures
Disclaimer: Based on the Legal Metrology (General) Rules, 2011 (G.S.R. 11(E), 7 February 2011) as notified, using a scanned copy with gaps, read with the Legal Metrology Act, 2009 (Act 1 of 2010), 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.