ISI Standards for Switches, Sockets, MCBs, LED Lights and Wire

IS code for electrical products: the short answer

The IS code for an electrical product is the number of the Indian Standard it is made and tested to, published by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). Each product type has its own: IS 3854 for switches, IS 1293 for plugs and sockets, IS/IEC 60898-1 for MCBs, IS 16102 for LED lamps and IS 694 for PVC house wire, among others.

The code matters because it is how a buyer, an electrician or a dealer can tell what a product claims to be. An ISI mark on its own is a printed shape. The IS number tells you which standard the product is meant to meet, and the licence or registration number beside it tells you whose factory BIS has approved to make it.

This guide is a reference list: each IS code you will meet on household electrical products, what product it covers, and, where it applies to something we make at our works in Marol, Andheri East, Mumbai, the licence or registration number printed in our catalogue. We list only standards we are sure of and that appear in our catalogue or our published guides. Standards are revised, so confirm the current edition on the BIS website before relying on a year.

What is the difference between an IS code, the ISI mark and BIS?

BIS is the Bureau of Indian Standards, the national body; an IS code is the number of one of its standards, such as IS 3854; and the ISI mark is the certification mark BIS lets a licensed factory print on a product made to that standard, always with a CM/L licence number beside it.

Three parts, three jobs:

BIS the body that writes standards and grants licences. IS 3854 the standard, the rulebook for one product type. ISI mark + CM/L number proof that a specific factory is licensed for that product.

LED lights follow a different scheme. They are registered under the BIS Compulsory Registration Scheme and carry an R-number rather than a CM/L number; our best LED light brand guide explains how to check one.

How to tell a genuine licence from a printed logo, step by step, is the subject of our guide on how to spot a fake ISI mark. This page stays with the codes themselves.

What is IS 3854? The standard for switches

IS 3854 is the Indian Standard for switches for domestic and similar purposes, the household switches on every board from a 6A light switch to a 20A appliance switch, and it has been under compulsory BIS certification since the 2003 Quality Control Order, so a switch sold in India should carry the ISI mark with a licence number.

Our switches are made to IS 3854 under ISI licence CM/L-7567794, across our KEMPS, VIZA and VIYONA ranges. KEMPS K141 is a 10AX 1 way modular switch with an MRP of ₹65. In our conventional range, the VIYONA 151 16A 1 way switch, listed in our catalogue as carrying the ISI mark, is ₹74.

The same standard covers 1 way and 2 way switches. What it does not cover is the socket next to them, which has its own standard below.

Our switch and socket ratings guide explains the 6A, 10AX, 16A, 20A and 32A figures you will see beside the IS number, and our switch manufacturing page shows the range.

What is IS 1293? The standard for plugs and sockets

IS 1293 is the Indian Standard for plugs and socket-outlets of rated voltage up to 250 V and rated current up to 16 A, covering the 6A and 16A sockets on a switch board and the plug tops on appliance cords, and it became compulsory under BIS certification from 1 December 2020, under an order notified in December 2019.

Under IS 1293 fall:

6A sockets 16A sockets Universal sockets 3 pin plug tops 2 pin plug tops

A socket carrying the switch standard, or a plug top with no IS number at all, is a mismatch worth questioning. For any socket or plug top, ours included, ask the dealer for the licence covering that exact product and check it before buying.

Our plug tops include the VIYONA Royal 6A 3 pin plug top (243) at ₹68 and the 16A 3 pin (244) at ₹110 MRP. Our 3 pin plug guide covers sizes and wiring, and the guide to the difference between 2 pin and 3 pin plugs explains the earth pin.

Where is the ISI mark on a switch?

The ISI mark on a switch is usually moulded or printed on the switch body itself, on the back or the side of the module, with the IS 3854 number and the CM/L licence number beside it, and repeated on the carton, so the mark can be checked on the product rather than only on its box.

What to read on the switch: ISI mark IS 3854 CM/L number rating, such as 10AX maker’s name

On a modular switch the marking is often on the back of the module, hidden once it clips into the plate, so check it before installation. On a fitted board, a licensed electrician can take a module out after switching off the MCB and testing the circuit dead.

One licence covers one product category. A maker of switches and MCBs holds a separate number for each, so the numbers on the two should differ. Ours do: CM/L-7567794 for switches and CM/L-2544151 for MCBs. Our switch board buying guide adds the other checks worth making on a board.

What are the BIS standards for MCBs?

The BIS standard for MCBs for household use is IS/IEC 60898-1, which sets the tests for tripping on overload and short circuit, breaking capacity, endurance and temperature rise, while a household distribution board as an assembled unit is built to IS 8623-3 or the newer IEC 61439-3 series.

Our VIYONA MCBs are made to IS/IEC 60898-1 under licence CM/L-2544151, at 10 kA breaking capacity, single pole to four pole. VIYONA 401 is a single pole 10 kA MCB from 6A to 32A with an MRP of ₹145, and the 412 is a 40A double pole MCB at ₹435.

For the board around them, IS 8623-3 is the 1993 Indian standard for boards operated by ordinary persons, and IEC 61439-3 is its international successor. Both apply to the assembled board, not an empty box.

We do not make RCCBs, so we do not list their standard here. For how an MCB works, see our MCB working principle guide, and for codes and MRPs, the VIYONA 10 kA MCB page.

Which IS codes cover lamp holders and ceiling roses?

Bayonet lamp holders, the B22 holders used in most Indian homes, are covered by IS 1258, brought under compulsory certification by the Electrical Accessories (Quality Control) Order, 2023, and ceiling roses by IS 371, so both should carry a standard number you can match to the product.

IS 1258 bayonet lamp holders: batten, angle and pendant holders. The 2023 order was published on 1 January 2024 and phased in from July 2024 for larger makers to January 2025 for micro enterprises.

IS 371 ceiling roses: the fitting a pendant light hangs from.

We make both product types in our VIYONA range, from the Deluxe angle and batten holders (201, 202) at ₹26 to the 3 part polycarbonate ceiling rose (204) at ₹36 MRP. For our holders and roses, ask the dealer for the licence covering the exact code. Our electric holder types guide explains each holder, and the guide to the ceiling rose covers its connection.

Which IS codes apply to LED lights?

LED lights in India are registered under the BIS Compulsory Registration Scheme to three standards: IS 16102 for self-ballasted LED lamps, IS 10322 (Part 5) for LED luminaires such as panels, down lights, street and flood lights, and IS 15885 (Part 2/Sec 13) for the electronic drivers that power LED modules.

Our catalogue prints a separate standard and registration for each:

IS 16102 (Part 1) LED lamps, registration R-71026514. IS 10322 (Part 5/Sec 2) LED down lights, Ultra Prime and slim panels, R-71026476. IS 15885 (Part 2/Sec 13) LED drivers, R-71026310.

One registration does not cover every fitting. A lamp registered to IS 16102 says nothing about a panel; a panel’s number should point to IS 10322. Our 0.5W LED night lamp (1061) is ₹40 MRP and the 3W LED down light (1010) ₹100.

How each standard affects what you buy is in our LED light manufacturing page, and how we test is in how we ensure quality.

What is the IS code for house wire?

PVC-insulated house wire in India is made to IS 694, which covers the cable and its insulation, with the copper conductor itself built to IS 8130, while halogen-free building wires, which are not PVC, are made to a different standard that makers cite as IS 17048, and wire must carry an ISI mark with a licence number.

IS 694 PVC-insulated cables, including FR and FR-LSH grades. IS 8130 conductors, annealed copper, solid or stranded classes. IS 17048 cited by makers for halogen-free wire.

Our VIYONA house wire is multi-strand copper with FR PVC insulation, made to IS 694 under ISI licence, and made for us by a partner to our specification; we do not make wire at our Mumbai works. The 1.5 sq mm 90 m coil (652) is ₹2,740 MRP.

Our house wire price list gives every size, and the best wire brand guide explains FR, FR-LSH and the checks worth making on any coil.

Which IS codes cover boxes and insulation tape?

Boxes and enclosures for household electrical accessories are covered by IS 14772, and insulating adhesive tape by IS 7809, and both were brought under compulsory certification by the same Electrical Accessories (Quality Control) Order, 2023 that covers bayonet lamp holders, so they too should carry an ISI mark and licence number.

IS 14772 the boxes behind switch boards and other enclosures for accessories. IS 7809 PVC insulating adhesive tape.

Neither box nor tape is the part people look at, which is exactly why the standard is worth checking: a box that cracks in the plaster or tape that peels off a joint fails out of sight. For any box or tape, ours included, ask for the licence covering that exact product.

We make concealed and surface boxes in our VIZA range, from the 1/2M concealed box at ₹50 MRP; our guide to the junction box vs concealed box explains each type. Our VIYONA range includes adhesive electrical tape, and the guide to electrical insulation tape explains what tape is for and what it is not.

Are IS 732, IS 3043 and IS 2032 product standards?

Some IS codes are not product standards at all: IS 732 is the code of practice for electrical wiring installations, IS 3043 the code of practice for earthing, and IS 2032 the series of graphical symbols for electrical drawings, so you will meet them on drawings and specifications, never as an ISI mark on a product.

IS 732 how wiring is laid and sized, run by run, by your electrician. IS 3043 how earth electrodes and earth paths are made. IS 2032 the symbols on a house wiring drawing.

A product claiming to be “certified to IS 732” is a mismatch: that standard governs the installation, not the switch or wire in it.

Our types of earthing guide gives the electrode sizes commonly taught from IS 3043, and our electrical symbols chart draws the house wiring symbols. For which wire size each circuit takes, see the guide to wire size for AC and geyser.

Which electrical products must have an ISI mark?

Household electrical products that must carry an ISI mark in India include switches under IS 3854, plugs and socket-outlets up to 16 A under IS 1293, MCBs under IS/IEC 60898-1, PVC house wire under IS 694, and, since the 2023 accessories order, bayonet lamp holders, boxes and insulation tape, while LED lights are registered with an R-number instead.

For door bells, regulators and night lamps, ask which standard the maker works to rather than assume. Selling uncertified items in a compulsory category is an offence under the BIS Act, a point our best electrical accessories brand guide covers for dealers.

For the full new-home picture, our electrical checklist for a new flat includes reading marks on the DB.