Smartphone screen protectors under BIS

Why in the News

The Centre has mandated compulsory Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) certification for smartphone screen protectors. An entity must now secure regulatory approval before selling such products in India. The mandate takes effect from 1 April 2027. The move answers the circulation of low-quality screen protectors in a market estimated at 400 million tempered glass pieces in 2025. The stated aim is a quality floor for consumers and a level playing field for local manufacturers and global firms. The open question is enforcement, since a pre-market approval requirement has to reach every seller in a market of that size.

What does the compulsory certification order require?

1. Approval before sale: Certification is a pre-market requirement, so an entity must hold BIS approval before it sells a smartphone screen protector in India.
2. Product scope: The mandate covers smartphone screen protectors as a product category, including the tempered glass segment that dominates the market.

How large is the market the order applies to?

1. Retail value of the segment: The local market for tempered glass screen protectors carried a retail value of Rs 20,000 crore in 2025.
2. Prevalence of substandard stock: The order is expected to curb sales of low-quality smartphone screen protectors.

Who does the order affect?

1. Domestic manufacturers: The mandate is expected to help firms that have begun manufacturing in India. Eg. Optiemus Infracom has started production of screen protectors in India.
2. Level playing field for all sellers: The requirement applies alike to local manufacturers and global firms, according to the mobile device makers’ body ICEA. The industry position is that a common certification floor removes the advantage of uncertified stock.
3. Consumers: The stated consumer benefit is protection from substandard products.

Challenges to mandatory certification for screen protectors

1. Enforcement across a dispersed retail market: Certification binds the entity selling the product, and a market of hundreds of millions of pieces is spread across a very large number of sellers. Eg. The tempered glass segment ran to 400 million pieces in 2025.
   The Fix: Require every retail and marketplace listing to display the certification number, so enforcement operates at the point of sale rather than only at the factory.
2. Compliance cost before the effective date: Approval must be secured before a product can be sold, so a seller carries testing and certification cost ahead of any revenue from the certified line. Eg. The mandate takes effect on 1 April 2027.
   The Fix: Publish the testing protocol and the list of recognised laboratories early, so the approval queue does not concentrate immediately before the deadline.
3. Imports outside the certification net: The level playing field the order promises depends on uncertified consignments being stopped at the border rather than after they reach the market. Eg. The order’s stated purpose includes equal treatment of local manufacturers and global firms.
   The Fix: Tie customs clearance of screen protector consignments to a verified certification record for the importing entity.

Conclusion

Compulsory certification for this accessory category is settled in principle and open in execution. Its effect depends on how much of a very large and dispersed seller base is actually brought inside the certification net, rather than on the standard itself. The milestone to watch is the date the mandate takes effect, since uncertified stock may not lawfully be sold after it.

Matching Previous Year Question

“[2017] Consider the following statements: 1. The Standard Mark of Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is mandatory for automotive tyres and tubes. 2. AGMARK is a quality Certification Mark issued by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). Which of the statements given above is/are correct? (a) 1 only (b) 2 only (c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2 (a)”