Govt to roll out new quality standards for lab glassware from 1 July

New Delhi: Come July, manufacturers of laboratory glassware will need to comply with new standards set by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) as demand for high-quality scientific equipment grows globally, two people aware of the matter said.

“The plan is to enhance product quality to help improve India’s credentials and competitiveness in the global market, with laboratory glassware being exported to the US, Europe, West Asia, Africa, and Latin America," the first person said.

Poor quality glassware is prone to failure under normal laboratory conditions, posing safety risks to researchers and potentially contaminating samples.

“It was needed to bring QCO for this segment as tests conducted with low-quality glassware would yield unreliable or inconsistent results, affecting the reliability and validity of scientific findings,” the second person said.

The department for promotion of industry and internal trade (DPIIT) and the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), which operates under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, have jointly issued the quality control order.

The new standards require finished product to have an ISI mark that is obtained after a thorough inspection by BIS scientists.

Manufacturers also need to ensure material composition, dimensional accuracy, resistance to temperature variations, and chemical stability.

“With the industry facing challenges, including competition from cheaper plastic alternatives and fluctuations in raw material prices, technological upgrades are essential to maintain global standards and market position,” the second person said.

Common laboratory glassware includes beakers for holding samples, burettes for precise liquid dispensing, pipettes for transferring measured fluids, condensers for cooling and heating liquids, desiccators, drying pistols for moisture absorption, and funnels designed to accurately pour liquids into narrow-necked containers.

Queries emailed to the consumer affairs ministry remained unanswered till press time.

Curbing imports

“India's laboratory glassware industry is vital to the nation's scientific and industrial landscape. The QCO for this category of products is aimed at improving the quality of products and restricting import of sub-standards products in the country,” said Ajay Srivastava, founder of Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI), a think tank on trade policies.

"As the demand for high-quality scientific equipment grows, so does the potential of India's laboratory glassware industry. Continued investment and support are crucial to harnessing this potential and ensuring the industry's role in advancing scientific and technological innovation," he said.

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India's total laboratory glassware exports amounted to $33.08 million in FY24, marking a decrease of 1.90% compared to the previous financial year, as per the commerce ministry data. India exports laboratory glassware valued to destinations including the US, EU, Germany, Switzerland, and the UAE.

In FY24, India exported laboratory glassware worth $10.08 million to the US against $10.51 million in the previous year.

India imported laboratory glassware valued at $30.9 million from countries, including Singapore, Germany, and China, largely same as FY23.

The major manufacturing hubs for laboratory glassware are Ambala in Haryana, Delhi, and Hyderabad in Telangana, which have positioned India as a key player in the global market.

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