Ministry of Steel has notified Quality Control Order on 145 Indian Standards on steel & steel products.

To ensure that substandard steel and steel products do not enter the Indian  markets (both from domestic & foreign producers), Ministry of Steel has notified Quality Control Order (QCO) on 145 Indian Standards on steel & steel products. The QCO mandates conformity of the steel and steel products entering the market to the relevant Indian Standards, through compulsory certification from Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). The Quality Control Order is applicable on all the steel grades existing under the 145 Indian Standards notified through the QCO, covering plain carbon steel, alloy steel and stainless steel. No steel & steel products can enter the Indian market without BIS Standard Mark under a valid BIS License, as per provisions of Section 17 of the BIS Act,  2016.

BIS License, as per the relevant Indian Standard, is issued to domestic as well as foreign manufacturers by BIS after thorough assessment of the manufacturing and testing infrastructure of the manufacturer and after ensuring conformity of the product to  the Indian Standard. After grant of license, each consignment of material, conforming to  the relevant Indian Standard, produced domestically or imported into India is required to  bear the BIS Standard Mark.

BIS also carries out regular checks through factory inspections and market surveillance to ensure that the steel product being manufactured is complying to the requirements of the standard on a continuous basis. In case of violation of QCO, BIS also carries out enforcement activities.