What the Furniture QCO covers
The Furniture (Quality Control) Order 2025 lists six categories and their standards. Work chairs are covered by IS 17631:2022. General-purpose chairs and stools are covered by IS 17632:2022. Tables and desks are covered by IS 17633:2022. Storage units, such as wardrobes, cabinets and sideboards, are covered by IS 17634:2022. Beds are covered by IS 17635:2022. Bunk beds are covered by IS 17636:2022. Certification is under BIS Scheme-I, which means the manufacturer holds a licence and marks the product with the ISI mark. The licence is tied to the manufacturing unit, so an importer cannot certify a product on a factory's behalf. As of September 2026, the order is in force for enterprises of every size. A retailer or importer can hold stock, but the licence that matters sits with the factory that made it.
What customs can do
Goods covered by a Quality Control Order must meet it at the point of import. A covered item that arrives without the required licence can be held by customs. Consultants describe the outcomes as detention, re-export at the importer's cost, or destruction. While goods are held, port and container freight station storage charges continue to run. Separately, section 29 of the BIS Act 2016, as summarised by consultants, provides for imprisonment of up to 2 years and/or a fine starting at ₹2 lakh (₹5 lakh for a repeat offence) and going up to 10 times the value of the goods. We have not found published figures on how many furniture shipments have been held, so treat any number you hear with caution. Check the current notification on egazette.gov.in or bis.gov.in.
What is reportedly outside the Furniture QCO
Static sofas, settees and reclining seats appear, on a consultant reading, to fall outside the scope of IS 17632; confirm this against the standard itself before relying on it. That does not mean every sofa or recliner is unregulated. Furniture with electrically motorised parts is listed by BIS under IS 302 (Part 1):2024 through the electrical appliances QCO of 2026, applicable from 1 October 2026, with later dates for small and micro enterprises. Upholstered furniture for non-domestic use, such as offices, malls and hospitals, is subject to a separate fire-retardant upholstery order under IS 15768, effective October 2023, whose import relief ran to 31 March 2025. A single living-room order can therefore touch three different regimes. Check each item on an order separately rather than assuming one answer covers the whole shipment.
Transitional relief that has mostly closed
Two amendments softened the start. S.O. 774(E) of 13 February 2026, as described by consultants, allows up to 200 units a year to be imported for research and development, lets makers who are certified or have applied sell stock made or imported before the deadline for 12 months, and exempts imports meant only for re-export. S.O. 1125(E) of 2 March 2026, as described by a law firm, exempted goods ordered or shipped before the deadline if the Bill of Entry was filed within 180 days, with the importer submitting documents to BIS within 7 days of clearance. That window closed around mid-August 2026. A shipment ordered now cannot rely on it. Check the current notification on egazette.gov.in or bis.gov.in. Relief under these amendments depends on dates and documents, so ask for proof rather than accepting a general assurance.
What to ask a seller before you pay
For any bed, table, desk, chair, stool, storage unit or bunk bed, ask the seller four things in writing. First, who manufactured it, with the factory's name and location. Second, the BIS licence number held by that manufacturer, and which Indian Standard it covers. Third, whether the ISI mark is on the product itself. Fourth, whether the piece was cleared through Indian customs, and whether a GST invoice will be issued. Verify the licence number on the BIS website before paying a deposit. If the seller says BIS does not apply to a covered category, ask them to put that in writing with the reason. For motorised pieces, ask about the finished product's certification, not only the motor. Keep the answers with your invoice.