Rules 6 and 7 of the Legal Metrology (Approval of Models) Rules, 2011: submitting the model to the recognised laboratory, testing at site, cost and risk, forfeiture of an unclaimed model, the provisional certificate, and what the tests examine

Rules 6 and 7 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.

Once an application is made, the model has to reach a recognised laboratory and be tested. Rule 6 governs the submission, the cost and risk of testing, the forfeiture of an unclaimed model and the provisional certificate; rule 7 says what the tests are meant to find out and how they are carried out.

These rules are as amended up to the Approval of Models (Amendment) Rules, 2019, which did not change rules 6 or 7 (it changed the fee in rule 19, which rule 6(1) refers to); later amendments should be checked on the Department of Consumer Affairs website. If your model is bulky or you are unsure how your instrument will be tested, a legal consultation can help you plan the submission.

The applicant deposits the testing fee under rule 19 to the credit of the recognised laboratory. Installation, tests and removal are at the applicant's cost and risk. A model not removed within six months of the certificate being granted or refused is forfeited to the Central Government. Where tests are likely to take more than three months, the Director may issue a provisional certificate so that the manufacturer can manufacture at his own risk. The tests check conformity with the Act, the rules and the recommendations of the International Organization of Legal Metrology (OIML), among other things.

Rule 6: submission of the model

Fee and documents (rule 6(1) and (2))

Every person who submits a model of a weight or measure, or a weighing and measuring instrument, for approval (the "applicant") deposits to the credit of the recognised laboratory the fee prescribed in rule 19. The amounts are covered in our article on rules 5 and 19. The Director sends all the documents referred to in rule 5 to the recognised laboratory that carries out the tests, so that the laboratory can check whether the documents conform to the details of its own test results.

Testing at another place (rule 6(3))

Where the weight or measure is so voluminous that it cannot be submitted to the laboratory, the recognised laboratory may test it at such place as it considers fit. If the test is at any premises other than the laboratory's, the applicant pays, for the duration of the test, the travelling and daily allowances of the persons deputed, at the rates admissible to such persons under the rules in force in the recognised laboratory. Whether an item is too voluminous to be brought in is for the laboratory to judge; the rules give no size limit.

Facilities, cost and risk (rule 6(4) to (6))

• The applicant provides the facilities the team deputed by the laboratory needs for the necessary tests (rule 6(4)).
• Installation, tests and removal of the model are done at the cost and risk of the applicant (rule 6(5)).
• The Central Government and the recognised laboratory are not responsible for any loss or damage the model may sustain in the course of examination and testing (rule 6(6)).

Forfeiture of an unclaimed model (rule 6(7))

If a model submitted for approval is not removed by the applicant after six months from the date on which a certificate of approval was granted or refused, it becomes forfeit to the Central Government, which disposes of it as it thinks fit. A manufacturer should therefore plan to collect the model once the decision is out.

Provisional certificate (rule 6(8))

If the Director is satisfied that the test for approval is likely to take more than three months, and on receipt of satisfactory preliminary test reports from the laboratory, the Director may issue a provisional certificate, subject to conditions specified in it. It lets the manufacturer manufacture, at his own risk, the weight or measure for which the model was submitted. Two provisos apply:

1. Manufacture, distribution or sale of the instrument must be discontinued immediately when the Director withdraws the provisional model approval certificate.
2. If the tested model does not meet the requirements of the model approval test, all instruments covered by the provisional certificate and sold in the market must be withdrawn with immediate effect at the manufacturer's cost.

How long a provisional certificate stays valid is dealt with in rule 8(7): not beyond one year from issue, with two provisos for extension. See our article on rules 8, 9 and 10.

Rule 7: what the tests examine

Conditions and purposes (rule 7(1))

The tests are carried out under the normal conditions of use, whether actual or simulated, of the weight or measure. They are made with a view to:

• (a) ascertaining whether the model conforms to the standards established for it by or under the Act and the rules, or to the recommendations of the International Organization of Legal Metrology (OIML);
• (b) finding out its ability to keep its accuracy and other metrological characteristics after being put to use for such minimum number of times or over such minimum period as the Director specifies by general order for that class;
• (c) determining its performance under varied conditions of use;
• (d) determining its metrological and technical characteristics after taking into account the likely influence factors and their effect;
• (e) determining whether it carries the mandatory declarations required under the Act and the rules;
• (f) determining whether the place or places of sealing suggested by the manufacturer are enough to prevent fraudulent use; and
• (g) determining generally the behaviour of the model, namely its robustness, reliability and susceptibility to fraudulent use.

Test procedure (rule 7(2))

Every model is tested in accordance with the test procedure the Director lays down for the class of weight or measure. Until the Director lays down a procedure for a class, the tests are carried out in the way the recognised laboratory considers will enable it to recommend the grant of a certificate. The rules print no list of test parameters for any class; those are in the Director's procedures and the OIML recommendations.

Sequence in practice

1. The applicant deposits the testing fee to the credit of the laboratory.
2. The Director forwards the documents to the laboratory.
3. The model is installed and tested, at the laboratory or at a site the laboratory decides on.
4. If the tests are likely to run beyond three months and preliminary reports are satisfactory, the Director may issue a provisional certificate.
5. The laboratory reports to the Director (the next article covers this).
6. The applicant removes the model within six months of the decision.

Table: costs, risks and periods

A practical example

Shree Balaji Meters, a fuel dispensing pump maker in Faridabad, submits a new model. The laboratory tells it that the full test will take more than three months. On satisfactory preliminary reports, the Director issues a provisional certificate with conditions. Shree Balaji begins manufacture at its own risk and sells a first batch of units. If the final test later shows that the model fails, it must withdraw every unit sold under the provisional certificate, at its own cost, with immediate effect. Planning for that possibility is part of the decision to start early.

Common lapses

• Treating a provisional certificate as a final approval.
• Failing to collect a model within six months, so that it is forfeited.
• Assuming the laboratory will bear the loss if a model is damaged in testing.
• Ignoring the Director's withdrawal of a provisional certificate and continuing to sell.

For the Act's requirement see our post on section 22; for the instruments' own technical rules see rule 13 of the General Rules (weighing instruments).

Need help with model approval tests?

If your model is large, complex or likely to take long in testing, planning the submission and the provisional certificate matters. Our team can review your plan under a legal consultation.

Key takeaways

• The fee goes to the credit of the recognised laboratory; the testing is at the applicant's cost and risk.
• The Government and the laboratory are not responsible for loss or damage to the model in testing.
• A model left for six months after the grant or refusal is forfeited.
• A provisional certificate may be issued where tests are likely to take more than three months; withdrawal or failure means stopping sale and recalling units at the manufacturer's cost.
• The tests examine conformity, durability, performance, mandatory declarations, sealing places and robustness against fraud.

Read next

• Rules 5 and 19: application for model approval and testing fee
• Rules 8, 9 and 10: issue of certificate, refusal and re-submission
• Model Approval for Weights and Measures

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.