Blocks used in the manufacture of soles, heels or soles and heels combined, for footwear

Vulcanised rubber blocks for footwear soles and heels

BIS QCO APPLICABLE · ISI MARK SCHEME · IS 5676

HSN 4008 29 20 (vulcanised rubber blocks for footwear soles and heels) is covered by a Bureau of Indian Standards Quality Control Order. Conformity to IS 5676:1995 is mandatory under the ISI Mark Scheme with effect from 01 July 2023, by virtue of the Footwear Made from All-Rubber and All-Polymeric Material and Its Components (Quality Control) Amendment Order, 2023. No separate customs-clearance overlay beyond the BIS QCO applies to this tariff line.

What this is

HSN code

4008 29 20

Chapter

40 · Rubber and articles thereof

BIS QCO

Applicable · ISI Mark Scheme · CM/L required

Indian Standard

IS 5676:1995 · effective 01-07-2023

Applicable Partner Government Agencies

BISBIS·Bureau of Indian Standards

Compliance steps

1
Source only from a Bureau of Indian Standards CM/L-licensed manufacturer holding a current licence against IS 5676:1995 for moulded solid rubber soles and heels. Verify the supplier's CM/L number, licensed product scope, and manufacturing facility address on the BIS online register before placing the purchase order.
IS 5676:1995 · Footwear Made from All-Rubber and All-Polymeric Material and Its Components (Quality Control) Amendment Order, 2023 · S.O. 2600(E) dated 27-10-2020 as amended by S.O. 3893(E) dated 01-09-2023
2
Ensure every rubber sole and heel block bears the ISI mark and the supplier's CM/L number under Scheme-I of Schedule-II to the BIS (Conformity Assessment) Regulations, 2018. Marking must appear on the product or its primary packaging in a manner that is traceable to the licensed batch.
Scheme-I of Schedule-II to the BIS (Conformity Assessment) Regulations, 2018 · S.O. 2600(E) dated 27-10-2020
3
Quote the supplier's BIS CM/L number on the bill of entry. Customs verifies the CM/L in real time against the BIS register; an absent, expired, or product-scope-mismatched licence triggers consignment detention, demurrage, and potential re-export or confiscation.
BIS Act, 2016 · Customs Act, 1962 · S.O. 3893(E) dated 01-09-2023
4
If the consignment is intended solely for manufacture of footwear for export, claim the export-manufacturing exemption. The importer must furnish a self-declaration on company letterhead and a Council for Leather Exports certification quoting the valid RCMC number, Udyam registration number, and bill of entry number before customs clearance.
Footwear Made from All-Rubber and All-Polymeric Material and Its Components (Quality Control) Amendment Order, 2023 · S.O. 3893(E) dated 01-09-2023
5
If the importer qualifies as a micro or small manufacturing unit under Section 7 of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Act, 2006, the QCO obligation does not apply. Retain documentary evidence of MSME status for customs verification.
S.O. 3880(E) dated 11-08-2022

A word of counsel

The single most common error on this tariff line is importing non-ISI-marked rubber sole blocks under the export-manufacturing exemption without completing all four legs of the Council for Leather Exports certification process — specifically, omitting the Udyam registration certificate number or the bill-of-entry-for-home-consumption number from the self-declaration. Customs treats an incomplete declaration as a failed exemption claim and treats the consignment as a standard importation requiring a CM/L-marked product; the goods are then detained as non-compliant rather than cleared under the carve-out.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 4008 29 20 require BIS certification?

Yes. Moulded solid rubber soles and heels must conform to IS 5676:1995 under the ISI Mark Scheme with effect from 01 July 2023; import is permitted only from manufacturers holding a current BIS CM/L licence covering the relevant product scope and facility.

Is there an exemption for importers who manufacture footwear for export?

Yes. Import of rubber soles and heels used exclusively in manufacturing footwear for export is exempt from the QCO, provided the importer furnishes a self-declaration on company letterhead plus a Council for Leather Exports certification quoting a valid RCMC number, Udyam registration number, and bill of entry number before clearance.

Do micro and small enterprises need to comply with the BIS QCO on this tariff line?

No. The Quality Control Order expressly does not apply to micro and small manufacturing units as defined in Section 7 of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Act, 2006, per S.O. 3880(E) dated 11-08-2022.

Does a single CM/L licence cover all sole and heel specifications from the same manufacturer?

No. A CM/L licence is scope-specific by product specification and manufacturing facility; rubber sole and heel variants outside the licensed scope, or produced at an unlicensed plant, are not covered and will fail the real-time BIS register check at customs.

Last verified against gazette notifications: 2026-05-18. Source: BIS / Indian Customs CUSDATA.