Other
Other insulated electric conductors and cables not elsewhere specified
HSN 8544 49 99 (other insulated electric conductors and cables) is covered by multiple Bureau of Indian Standards Quality Control Orders. Conformity to IS 17048:2018, IS 5950:1984, IS 8784:1987, IS 17293:2020, and IS 17505 (Part 1):2021 is mandatory under the ISI Mark Scheme, with the Cables (Quality Control) Order, 2020 in force from 21 January 2020 and the Solar DC Cable and Fire Survival Cable (Quality Control) Order, 2023 in force from 26 February 2024. Directorate General of Foreign Trade policy controls, including TRQ allocation for copper products under Chapter 8544, apply as separate customs-clearance overlays.
Procedural directions for customs clearance are issued by: Directorate General of Foreign Trade.
- 1Identify the specific cable type being imported — halogen-free flame-retardant (HFFR) cable, shot-firing cable, thermocouple compensating cable, solar DC cable, or fire survival cable — and confirm the applicable Indian Standard: IS 17048:2018, IS 5950:1984, IS 8784:1987, IS 17293:2020, or IS 17505 (Part 1):2021 respectively.Cables (Quality Control) Order, 2020 · S.O. 294(E) dated 21-01-2020 · Solar DC Cable and Fire Survival Cable (Quality Control) Order, 2023 · S.O. 3807(E) dated 24-08-2023
- 2Verify the foreign manufacturer's BIS CM/L licence number on the BIS online register against the applicable Indian Standard and confirm the licensed product scope, voltage rating, and manufacturing facility cover the consignment. A licence for one cable type does not extend to any other type under this HSN.Scheme-I of Schedule-II to the BIS (Conformity Assessment) Regulations, 2018 · Cables (Quality Control) Order, 2020 · S.O. 294(E) dated 21-01-2020
- 3Ensure every cable in the consignment bears the ISI mark and the supplier's CM/L licence number. Marking must appear on the product itself — on the cable sheathing at regular intervals — and not solely on the reel label or outer packaging.Scheme-I of Schedule-II to the BIS (Conformity Assessment) Regulations, 2018 · BIS Act, 2016
- 4Quote the supplier's BIS CM/L licence number and the applicable IS number on the bill of entry. Customs verifies the CM/L in real time against the BIS register; an absent, expired, or scope-mismatched CM/L triggers consignment detention, demurrage, and potential re-export or confiscation.Cables (Quality Control) Order, 2020 · Solar DC Cable and Fire Survival Cable (Quality Control) Order, 2023 · BIS Act, 2016 · Customs Act, 1962
- 5If the consignment consists of copper cables classified under CTH 8544 and falls within the India-Nepal TRQ allocation, obtain DGFT TRQ allocation prior to import and comply with the revised procedures. Copper-based cables from Sri Lanka under ISFTA are additionally restricted to specified ports.DGFT Public Notice 17/2023 dated 22-06-2023 · Policy condition 2 to Chapter 85 · ITC (HS) Import Policy 2022
The cardinal error on HSN 8544 49 99 is treating this residual tariff line as a single-IS obligation. Five distinct Indian Standards apply under two separate Quality Control Orders, each IS covering a defined cable type — HFFR, shot-firing, thermocouple compensating, solar DC, and fire survival — and a CM/L licence is IS-specific and product-type-specific. Importers who source a mixed consignment carrying, say, HFFR cable against IS 17048:2018 and fire survival cable against IS 17505 (Part 1):2021 must hold — and declare — two separate CM/L licences; a single licence covering only one type renders the other cable type unmarked and liable to detention.