Clothing label compliance in India is not about design — it is about whether the mandatory fields are complete: MRP, country of origin, importer details, net quantity and month of manufacture. Miss one and you can be held up at customs or on the marketplace.
Indian labelling rules come from metrology law and textile regulation at the same time, and online channels add rules of their own. This guide lists the fields that must appear on your hang tags, woven labels and care labels — and the details worth fixing at the sampling stage.
1. Three Sets of Rules Running in Parallel
Three sets of requirements apply to garment labels in India. They are often treated as one, which is how brands discover a missing field after the labels are printed.
- Metrology declarations — mandatory under the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, the general framework for pre-packaged goods
- Fibre composition and care labelling — governed by the textile authorities and the BIS standards, with care symbols following IS 15472 (aligned with ISO 3758)
- Channel rules — extra requirements from marketplaces such as Myntra, Amazon.in and Flipkart for both the listing and the physical tag, for example country-of-origin display and MRP consistency
2. Metrology Declarations: The Mandatory Fields
The table below lists what pre-packaged garments must declare in India. Print these onto the tag back or the care label rather than relying on stickers applied after arrival — stickers peel off and can cover other mandatory information.
| Field | What it must state | Where to place it |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturer, packer or importer name & address | Imported goods need the Indian importer's legal name and full address | Tag back |
| Country of origin | For example Made in China; mandatory on imports | Tag front or back |
| Generic name of the commodity | A name shoppers understand, for example Men's Cotton T-Shirt | Hang tag |
| Net quantity | In pieces or by weight, for example 1 N | Hang tag |
| Month and year of manufacture, packing or import | Month and year, for example 08/2026 | Tag or care label |
| MRP (all taxes included) | Maximum retail price in Indian rupees, inclusive of all taxes | Tag front |
| Consumer care details | Service phone or email of the manufacturer or importer; worth adding in every case | Tag back |
3. Country of Origin and Importer Details: Checked at Customs
Pre-packaged goods entering India must declare their country of origin, and in practice this is checked during customs clearance. Having the importer sticker the goods on arrival is common, but printing the legal details into the label is safer: the look stays consistent, nothing peels off, and no mandatory text ends up hidden under a sticker.
4. Fibre Composition and Care Labelling
Fibre composition must reflect the actual content, and care instructions work best as a symbol block plus a short English line: symbols are read at a glance, while the text gives you something to point to when a customer disputes washing.
- Composition: highest to lowest by weight, for example 100% Cotton or 60% Cotton / 40% Polyester
- Care symbols: follow the five IS 15472 / ISO 3758 families — washing, bleaching, drying, ironing and professional care
- Language: English is widely understood and the symbols are language-neutral; add Hindi text if you sell through regional retail
- Placement: care labels sit in the side seam or at the back neck; when the content is long, use a folded multi-page label instead of shrinking the type
5. Extra Requirements for Online Channels
A large share of Indian apparel sells online, and marketplaces set detailed rules for both the listing and the physical label. Checking the latest seller policy line by line before you publish saves a lot of rework.
- MRP on the listing and on the tag must match; discounts do not redefine the MRP
- Country of origin must appear on the listing, with the same information on the physical pack
- Multipacks must declare the total net quantity and the number of pieces inside
- Private labels often require their own information and size system on the hang tag
6. Turning the Rules Into Hang Tags, Woven Labels and Care Labels
| Component | Suggested content |
|---|---|
| Hang tag | MRP, country of origin, importer, generic name and size; care and composition summary on the back |
| Woven label | Brand mark, size and country of origin; keep brand and size first when space is tight |
| Care label | Composition, care symbols and month of manufacture; choose coated or tightly woven tape for garments washed often |
| Sample check | Verify field completeness and MRP legibility on the real sample, not after launch |
Dongguan TAGE Packaging produces hang tags, woven labels, care labels and packaging bags for export brands. We can reserve the mandatory fields for your target market — MRP, country of origin, importer block — at the sampling stage, so the label passes review the first time.
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Exporting apparel to India? Tell us the destination and the sales channel, and we will reserve the mandatory fields and send physical samples.
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