Button Cells

Button cells, primary batteries (miniature coin and cylindrical cells)

BIS QCO APPLICABLE · ISI MARK SCHEME · IS 8144 · CPCB OVERLAY

HSN 8506 80 10 (button cells) is covered by a Bureau of Indian Standards Quality Control Order. Conformity to IS 8144:2018 is mandatory under the ISI Mark Scheme with effect from 25 May 1987. Extended Producer Responsibility authorisation under the Battery Waste Management Rules and E-Waste (Management) Rules, administered by the Central Pollution Control Board, applies as a separate customs-clearance overlay.

What this is

HSN code

8506 80 10

Chapter

85 · Electrical machinery and equipment and parts thereof

BIS QCO

Applicable · ISI Mark Scheme · CM/L required

Indian Standard

IS 8144:2018 · effective 25-05-1987

Applicable Partner Government Agencies

BISBIS·Bureau of Indian Standards

CPCBCPCB·Central Pollution Control Board

Compliance steps

1
Source only from a Bureau of Indian Standards CM/L-licensed manufacturer holding a current licence against IS 8144:2018. 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 8144:2018 applicable for multipurpose dry batteries per S.O. 516(E) dated 25-05-1987 · BIS (Conformity Assessment) Regulations, 2018 · Ministry of Consumer Affairs notification F.No.BS/11/11/2018 dated 04-06-2018
2
Ensure every button cell bears the ISI mark and the supplier's CM/L number as prescribed under the applicable scheme in Schedule-II of the BIS (Conformity Assessment) Regulations, 2018. Marking must appear on the product or its minimum retail unit, not on outer packaging alone.
BIS (Conformity Assessment) Regulations, 2018 · Schedule-II Scheme-I marking requirements
3
Obtain Extended Producer Responsibility authorisation from the Central Pollution Control Board under the Battery Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2023 before the consignment is filed. MSMED-registered micro enterprises are exempt from EPR under the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Act, 2006.
S.O. 3984(E) dated 22-08-2022 · S.O. 4669(E) dated 25-10-2023 · Battery Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2023
4
Verify whether the E-Waste (Management) Rules EPR authorisation obligation also applies to the consignment. Quote both the BIS CM/L number and the applicable EPR authorisation reference on the bill of entry; absent or expired credentials trigger consignment detention.
Schedule-I of the E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2022 · G.S.R. 801(E) dated 02-11-2022 · G.S.R. 338(E) dated 23-03-2016

A word of counsel

The single most common error on this tariff line is assuming that the long-standing enforcement date of 25 May 1987 means compliance infrastructure is well-settled and that any button-cell supplier is automatically covered. IS 8144:2018 is a second revision — a CM/L licence issued against an earlier version of IS 8144 does not extend to the 2018 revision, and customs verification is against the current standard version. Confirm that the supplier's CM/L explicitly references IS 8144:2018 before shipment, not merely IS 8144 without the version year.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 8506 80 10 require BIS certification?

Yes. Conformity to IS 8144:2018 is mandatory under the ISI Mark Scheme; import is permitted only from manufacturers holding a current BIS CM/L licence covering button cells under the 2018 revision of the standard, with effect from 25 May 1987.

Is Extended Producer Responsibility authorisation required separately from BIS QCO compliance?

Yes. EPR authorisation is administered by the Central Pollution Control Board under the Battery Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2023 and is independent of the BIS ISI Mark obligation. Micro enterprises as defined under the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Act, 2006 are exempt.

Does the BIS obligation apply to all button cell chemistries (silver oxide, alkaline, lithium)?

IS 8144:2018 governs multipurpose dry battery specifications including button cells; the CM/L licence scope is chemistry-specific and size-specific. A licence covering one cell chemistry or size does not automatically extend to other variants from the same manufacturer.

Does a single CM/L licence cover all button cell sizes and manufacturing facilities?

No. The CM/L is facility-specific and product-scope-specific; button cells of sizes or specifications outside the licensed scope, or produced at an unlicensed plant, are not covered and are subject to detention at port.

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