The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) officially unveiled that all shoemakers will need to obtain a BIS certificate, and all footwear must adhere to the relevant Indian Standard and exhibit the Standard Mark (ISI Mark) under a license from the Department. Without an ISI Mark, selling leather or other material-made footwear would be forbidden. No producer will be able to officially make shoes without BIS Certification under the terms of this decree. Criminal charges, including imprisonment and severe fines, will accompany the failure to do so. A BIS Certificate for import into India via an appointment of an Authorized Indian Representative is required for a foreign producer to do marketing footwear in India. To preserve the safety and confidence of consumers, all distributors and vendors are instructed to only import or sell footwear bearing the ISI mark. You will come to know about the BIS Certification for Footwear in this article.

Role of Quality Control Orders (QCOs) in BIS Certification for Footwear 

BIS Certification for Footwear is required when the footwear is made from leather and other materials, under the DPIIT, Ministry of Commerce and Industry’s (Quality Control) Regulation. To stop imports and the production of deficient goods in India, quality control criteria for leather shoes and other compound footwear would be established. This warning applies to a variety of leather shoes, including safety boots and anti-riot shoes.

To comply with BIS’s obligatory certification requirements, the department has issued three quality control orders that cover and encompass footwear made of leather and other materials, rubber/polymeric material, and PPE footwear.

Three QCOs are as follows:-

• Shoes made of leather and other materials (Quality Control) Order, 2020
• Shoes composed entirely of rubber and polymeric materials, as well as their parts
• (Quality Control) Personal security apparatus – shoe, 2020 (Quality Control) Order, 2020

BIS Certification for Compound and Leather Footwear

The items included in the QCO “Leather and Other Material Footwear (Quality Control) Order, 2020” are boots, safety shoes, derby shoes, athletic footwear, canvas shoes with rubber soles, and anti-riot shoes.

The types of shoes, their requirements, and the name of the standard outlined in the “Footwear Made from Leather and Other Materials (Quality Control) Order 2020” are explained below:-

1. Standard Indian Footwear Sr. No. Name 1989 (Part 1) Indian Standard 1 for Leather Safety Boots and Shoes

Requirements for leather safety shoes and boots Miners’ Part 1

Requirements for leather safety shoes and boots For heavy metal industries, part 2

2. Canvas Footwear Rubber Sole IS 3735: 1996 Specification for Canvas Shoes with Rubber Soles

IS 3736: 1995, Canvas Boots with Rubber Soles

Rubber-Soled Canvas Boots: Specifications

4. Miners’ Safety Rubber Canvas Boots IS 3736: 1995

Specifications for Safety Rubber Canvas Boots for Workers

5. Direct-molded rubber-soled leather protective footwear IS 11226: 1993

Directly molded rubber soles on leather protective shoes: Specification

6. Leather safety footwear with a direct-molded polyvinyl chloride (PVC) sole- IS 14544: 1998 Leather safety footwear with a direct-molded polyvinyl chloride (PVC) sole

The seventh edition of IS 15844: 2010 Sports Footwear- Specification

8 High ankle tactical boots with PU and rubber soles in accordance with IS 17012: 2018 High Ankle Tactical Boots with PU and Rubber Soles – Specifications

9 IS 17037: 2018 Antiriot Shoe Specification

10. IS 17043: 2018 Derby shoe Specification 10 Derby shoes

BIS Certification for Shoes Made of Rubber and Polymeric Materials

Rubber microcellular sheets, PVC sandals, all-rubber gumboots and ankle boots, industrial and protective rubber knee and ankle boots, rubber slippers, rubber Hawaii chap pal, PVC industrial boots, and other products are included in the order “Footwear made from all-Rubber and all Polymeric material and its components (Quality Control) Order, 2020.” The quality control standards for footwear constructed from all rubber and polymeric materials, as well as its components, are covered by this BIS Certification of Footwear order.

The type of footwear, applicable standards, and the name of the standard, “Footwear made from all-Rubber and all Polymeric material and its components (Quality Control) Order, 2020,” is explained below:

Indian Standard Footwear Name Indian Standard Footwear Title

• Boots made of industrial and protective rubber that is knee- and ankle-high are specified in IS 5557: 2004.
• 2018 All rubber gum boots and ankle boots: Part 2 occupational uses All rubber gum boots and ankle boots IS 5557 (Part 2)
• Solid rubber soles and heels that have been molded are described in IS 5676: 1995.
• By IS 6664: 1992, rubber microcellular sheets are used for soles and heels.
• IS 6664: 1992 Rubber microcellular sheets for soles and heels—Specification Solid PVC soles and heels
• Solid PVC soles and heels are required to adhere to the IS 6719: 1972 specification.
• IS 6721: 1972 PVC Sandal Specification
• Hawaii Chap pal rubber IS 10702: 1992 Rubber Hawaii Chap pal- Specification
• Rubber slipper
• IS 11544: 1986
• Specification for rubber slippers
• Industrial boots made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) – IS 12254: 1993
• Industrial boots made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) – Specifications
• Flexible polyurethane so Semi-rigid893: 1994
• Semi-rigid polyurethane sole: Specifications
• Molded rubber boots without linings—IS 13995: 1995
• Molded rubber boots without linings: Specifications
• Molded plastic, lined or unlined shoe boots made of polyurethane for general industrial use. IS 16645: 2018 Boots made of polyurethane that are lined or unlined for general industrial use—Specification
• Shoes for men and women performing municipal scavenging work comply with IS 16994: 2018

BIS Certification for Footwear Standards for PPE

The personal safety equipment is covered under the order “Personal Protective Equipment Footwear (Quality Control) Order, 2020.”

Indian Standard Footwear Name with its Indian Standard Footwear Title:-

• Footwear for Personal Protective Equipment IS 15298 (Part 2): 2016
• 2019 IS 15298 (Part 3)
• Personal protective equipment – Part 2 Safety Footwear, IS 15298 (Part 4):2017
• Protective Footwear, Part 3 of Personal Protective Equipment
• Footwear for the workplace, Part 4 of personal protective equipment

Procedure

Below mentioned is the step-by-step process regarding the BIS Certification for Footwear:-

Step 1: Documentation required before application submission

Step 2: Submit an application to BIS along with the required documentation.

Step 3: BIS personnel carefully review the application.

Step 4: BIS designates an auditor for the assessment

Step 5: A BIS auditor audits the manufacturing facilities.

Step 6: Collect a sample for unbiased analysis

Step 7 Sample testing in a lab that has BIS^[1] approval

Step 8: A footwear manufacturer is granted a BIS license.

Essential Documentation concerning BIS Certification for Footwear

Regarding BIS Certification for Footwear, the following essential documents are needed:-

• Factory Registration Information & Documents
• Proof of identity
• Flowchart for the manufacturing process
• Particulars of the authorized signer and accompanying documents
• Enough testing infrastructure
• Parameters for quality control and their records
• Reports from laboratory tests and other data by BIS standards

Conclusion

Obtaining BIS certification for any product is a difficult and drawn-out process that starts with product development and evaluation and goes all the way to BIS certification. Lastly, to use the standard ISI mark on footwear, shoemakers and importers must get a BIS Certificate or license for Footwear. It is prohibited to sell shoes in the nation without the ISI brand. For all varieties of footwear, BizAdvisors.io provides comprehensive technical help for BIS certification. We at BizAdvisors.io have been offering a single point of contact for all product regulatory compliance to the industry. We offer comprehensive professional advice and help for BIS Certification for Footwear, employing our deep quality knowledge and expertise.

Read our article:A Complete Overview of BIS Certification for Mobiles