The Ministry of Commerce and Industry has recently introduced the Aluminium and Aluminium Alloy Products (Quality Control) Order (QCO), 2026. It is a noteworthy regulatory step, aimed at enhancing safety, quality and standardisation in the aluminium industry. Issued on March 11, 2026, under Section 16 of the BIS Act, 2016, followed by its enforcement on March 13, the Order replaces the 2025 regulatory version. The Order indicates the Central Government’s statutory authority, backed by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), thereby giving it full legal enforceability to mandate compulsory certification. 

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Mandatory certification across key product categories

Contained mainly under Section 2, the Order mandates the compulsory use of the BIS Standard Mark across 17 diverse categories of aluminium and alloy products. These include infrastructure, electrical, aerospace, pharmaceutical, engineering and consumer applications.

Covered products include irrigation tubes, EC-grade aluminium rods, pharmaceutical packaging foils, aluminium composite panels, corrugated sheets, aerospace forging stocks, and a wide range of wrought aluminium products such as bars, rods, sheets, wires and rivets.

Having assigned each category a particular Indian Standard, all products must conform to the respective Indian Standards in order to obtain BIS certification. The BIS Standard Mark must be applied only after obtaining a valid licence under the prescribed conformity assessment framework of the BIS. The license ensures that the product is in keeping with the BIS certification and compliance regulations. 

Implementation in phases and legal continuity

The QCO 2026 supersedes the previous Order in 2025, while, at the same time, ensuring continuity through a savings clause that preserves past actions. It also mandates adherence to the updated versions of Indian Standards, which consist of future amendments, requiring companies to keep a regular track of the BIS updates.

Keeping in mind the practical and operational requirements, a flexible implementation timeline has been introduced based on enterprise size under the MSME framework, called the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Act, 2006.  Large and medium enterprises are required to comply first, as specified under Column 5. They are followed by small and micro enterprises, whose compliance regulations are mentioned under Columns 6 and 7, respectively.

However, critical products such as pharmaceutical foils, aluminium alloy tubes for irrigation, aluminium composite panels, EC grade aluminium rods, aerospace forging materials, and corrugated sheets require immediate compliance across all categories, indicating a regulatory approach that is risk-based. 

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Export exemptions and enhanced product quality

On the other hand, aligning regulatory control with economic flexibility, the Order offers exemptions to products that are manufactured exclusively for export. It further allows limited imports of up to 200 kilogrammes (0.22 tonnes) annually for Research and Development, subject to stringent conditions like making non-commercial use of the same, record maintenance and disposal as scrap.

The authority for certification and enforcement has been assigned solely to the BIS to ensure a uniform implementation of the regulations. Non-compliance will result in the issuance of a range of penalties under the BIS Act, including fines and other such sanctions.

Through the expansion of regulatory oversight across a broad spectrum of applications, the QCO 2026 under BIS adopts a comprehensive approach, which is expected to improve product quality, bolster consumer safety, enabling Indian aluminium manufacturing to uphold global standards. The phased rollout and targeted exemptions aim to ease compliance for smaller enterprises while maintaining regulatory discipline. 

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