Rule 5 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 5 once required certain commodities to be packed only in the quantities listed in the Second Schedule. The consolidated text we used shows rule 5 as omitted by G.S.R. 779(E) of 2 November 2021, with effect from 1 April 2022, later moved to 1 October 2022 by G.S.R. 226(E) of 28 March 2022. The Second Schedule is shown as omitted from 1 October 2022 as well.
The old rule 5(1) said commodities in the Second Schedule had to be packed in the standard quantities listed there, and a pack of any other size had to say it was a non-standard pack size. Rule 5(3) allowed value-based packs of Rs 1 to Rs 10. The consolidated text now shows rule 5 omitted from 1 October 2022 and the Second Schedule omitted from the same date. Check the current Rules before you rely on either.
Why this rule still matters
Many older guides, contracts and label checklists still refer to "standard pack sizes". Section 18 of the Act speaks of "such standard quantities or number as may be prescribed", and rule 5 was the place where the Rules prescribed them (see section 18). If you are reading an older document, you need to know what rule 5 said, and what the consolidated text now shows. If you deal with labels, our FSSAI label compliance service covers the label side, while this article explains the rule history.
The text used here is the Packaged Commodities Rules as amended up to G.S.R. 226(E) of 28 March 2022. Amendments after that date are not in it.
What rule 5 said
The printed text of rule 5 contains several layers.
| Sub-rule | Text in the consolidation | Note in the source |
|---|---|---|
| 5(1) | Commodities specified in the Second Schedule "shall be packed for sale, distribution or delivery in such standard quantities as are specified in that Schedule" | Numbered as 5(1) by G.S.R. 427(E) of 5 June 2012 |
| Proviso | A commodity packed in a size other than the Schedule must carry the declaration "Not a standard pack size under the Legal Metrology (packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011" or "non standard size under the Legal Metrology (packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011", shown prominently on the label | The source marks a proviso as omitted by G.S.R. 784(E) of 24 October 2011; the footnotes are run together and partly unclear |
| Second proviso | If the competent authority under the Essential Commodities Act, 1955 fixes and notifies the standard quantity of an essential commodity, that notified quantity prevails | Inserted by G.S.R. 858(E) of 7 September 2016 |
| 5(2) | Grouped retail packages sold on promotional offer: every package must comply with rule 6 | Inserted by G.S.R. 427(E) of 5 June 2012 |
| 5(3) | Despite the Second Schedule, a manufacturer or importer may sell value-based packages priced at Rs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 after making the other rule 6 declarations | Inserted by G.S.R. 427(E) of 5 June 2012 |
The printed text then carries the note: "Rule 5 omitted vide GSR 779(E) dated 2nd November, 2021 w.e.f. 1.4.2022 (now w.e.f 01.10.2022 vide GSR 226(E) dated 28.3.2022)."
Because the footnotes in the source are run together, we cannot say from the text alone which proviso of rule 5(1) was in force on any given date between 2011 and 2022. If you need that history for an old case, read the original notifications.
The Second Schedule
The Second Schedule (headed "See rule 5", "Commodities to be packed in specified quantities") listed commodities against the quantities in which they were to be packed by weight, measure or number. The printed text shows 19 serial numbers, among them baby food, weaning food, biscuits, bread, butter and margarine, cereals and pulses, coffee, tea, beverage materials, edible oils, milk powder, detergent powder, flour and atta, salt, soaps, aerated soft drinks, mineral and drinking water, cement in bags, and paints.
The entries are in several styles. Some give a fixed list, for example cement in bags was listed as "1 kg, 2 kg, 5 kg, 10 kg, 20 kg, 25 kg, 40 kg (for White cement only) and 50 kg". Others give a list followed by "thereafter in multiples of" a quantity, or start with "Below ... no restriction". Asterisked figures mark quantities added or substituted by later amendments (the footnotes mention G.S.R. 359(E) of 2013, G.S.R. 385(E) of 2015 and G.S.R. 629(E) of 2017). Because the printed columns and the asterisks run into each other, we do not reproduce the full quantities for every commodity. Treat the Schedule as history, not as a working chart.
The text shows the Schedule marked "Omitted vide GSR 226(E) dated 28.3.2022 w.e.f. 1.10.2022".
Related omission: rule 33(2)
Rule 33 (power to relax) had a sub-rule (2) allowing the Central Government, after checking the genuineness of a case stated in an application, to let a manufacturer, packer or importer pack or sell packages other than those in the Second Schedule for a maximum of one year by relaxing the Rules. The text shows that sub-rule as omitted by G.S.R. 226(E) w.e.f. 1 October 2022. It follows the same logic: once the Schedule went, there was nothing to relax.
What this means for you
- If the omission applies to your pack, there is no Second Schedule size list to follow in the text we used, and no "non-standard pack size" declaration appears to be required by rule 5 (because rule 5 is shown as omitted). Check the current Rules and any notification before you change your range.
- Other declarations still apply. Net quantity, retail sale price, manufacturer and date declarations under rule 6 are unaffected by the omission of rule 5. Rule 4(2) on promotional packs is now the place where the rule 6 requirement for grouped packs is stated.
- Essential commodities. A price or quantity fixed under the Essential Commodities Act, 1955 is separate law. Rule 6(1)(e) also recognises a notified retail price of an essential commodity.
- Older topical guides. Our earlier guides on standard quantities in packaged goods and on standard quantities under Schedule III were written as topical guides. Where they describe standard pack sizes as binding, read them together with this note on the omission.
Practical examples
Example 1. A tea company has a 40 g sachet listed in an older catalogue as "non-standard pack size". In the consolidated text that declaration belonged to rule 5, which is shown as omitted from 1 October 2022. The company should confirm the current Rules before dropping the declaration from existing artwork.
Example 2. A manufacturer sells a Rs 5 sachet. Rule 5(3), as it stood, allowed value-based packs at Rs 1 to Rs 10 if the other rule 6 declarations were made. The other declarations, including net quantity, never depended on rule 5.
Need help with pack size and label checks?
If your range was designed around the old Second Schedule, a short review can show which label lines, catalogue entries and contract terms still refer to it. Our FSSAI label compliance team can go through the pack and the current Rules with you.
Key takeaways
- Rule 5(1) required Second Schedule commodities to be packed in listed standard quantities, with a non-standard pack declaration for other sizes.
- Rule 5(3) allowed value-based packs of Rs 1 to Rs 10.
- The consolidated text shows rule 5 omitted and the Second Schedule omitted w.e.f. 1 October 2022.
- Rule 33(2), which allowed one-year relaxation for non-Schedule packs, is shown omitted as well.
- Check later amendments; the source ends at G.S.R. 226(E) of 28 March 2022.
Read next
- Rule 4 of the Packaged Commodities Rules, 2011: Regulation of pre-packing and sale
- Rule 6 of the Packaged Commodities Rules, 2011: Name, address and country of origin
- Rule 1 and 3 of the Packaged Commodities Rules, 2011: Commencement and applicability
- Requirement of standard quantities in packaged goods
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, not rule 5. State Legal Metrology rules, later amendments and notifications change; verify the current position before acting.