If you manufacture, pack or import any product for retail sale in India, you are required to print an MRP label on every package. The Weights and Measures (Packaged Commodities) Rules — now governed by the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011 under the Legal Metrology Act, 2009 — specify exactly what must appear on that label, in what format and at what minimum size.
Getting any field wrong is not a minor error. Legal Metrology Officers conduct market inspections and raids regularly across India. Non-compliant products are seized on the spot and companies face fines up to ₹1 lakh for repeat violations. Individual managers and directors can be personally prosecuted.
This guide tells you precisely what goes on an MRP label, the exact format required, what not to do, and how to print it correctly using a barcode thermal printer.
The 11 Mandatory Fields on Every MRP Label in India
Field 1 — Name and Address of Manufacturer / Packer / Importer
What to print:
- Full legal name of the entity responsible for the product
- Complete postal address including: building/plot number, street, area/locality, city, state, PIN code
- For imported products: the Indian importer’s full name and address (mandatory even if the foreign manufacturer’s details are also present)
What not to do:
- Do not print only the city and PIN. Full address including street is required.
- Do not use a PO Box as the address. A physical address is required.
- Do not print only the brand name without the legal entity name behind it.
Example: Sunshine Foods Pvt. Ltd., Plot 12, Phase II Industrial Area, Ludhiana – 141003, Punjab, India
Field 2 — Common or Generic Name of the Product
What to print: The standard, commonly understood name of what the product is — not the brand name, not the trade name.
Examples:
- Correct: “Refined Sunflower Oil”
- Correct: “Whole Wheat Biscuits”
- Correct: “Cotton T-Shirt”
- Incorrect: “Sunshine Gold” (brand name only — does not tell the consumer what the product is)
Brand name and generic name can both appear — but the generic name must be present and legible.
Field 3 — Net Quantity
What to print:
- For solids and semi-solids: weight in grams (g) or kilograms (kg)
- For liquids: volume in millilitres (ml) or litres (l)
- For certain commodities (biscuits, textiles, footwear): by number or linear measurement as specified in the LMPC Second Schedule
Critical rules:
- Net quantity means the contents only — not including the weight of the packaging
- Use only the approved unit abbreviations: g, kg, ml, l. Do not use “GMS”, “Gms”, “grams” spelled out, or “LTR”
- Net quantity must be printed with adequate spacing around it — crowding the net quantity against other text is a violation under Rule 8
Examples:
- Correct: “Net Qty: 500 g”
- Correct: “Net Contents: 1 l”
- Incorrect: “500 GMS”
- Incorrect: “500gm”
Field 4 — Month and Year of Manufacture or Packing
What to print: The month and year when the commodity was manufactured or packed.
Accepted formats:
- Mfg: 04/2026
- Manufactured: April 2026
- Packed: 04/2026
- Mfg. Date: APR 2026
Day of manufacture is not mandatory but is permitted. Many Indian manufacturers choose to include the full date (DD/MM/YYYY) for traceability purposes even though only month and year are legally required.
What not to do: Do not print only the year. Month and year are both required. Do not use a Julian date format without also printing the human-readable date.
Field 5 — Best Before / Use By Date (Where Applicable)
When required: Mandatory for any commodity that may become unfit for human consumption or use after a period of time. In practice this covers all food, beverages, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, cleaning products, batteries, and most FMCG goods.
The difference between Best Before and Use By:
- Best Before: Quality guarantee date. Product remains fully marketable and retains stated qualities until this date. After this date it may still be safe but quality is not guaranteed. Use for dry goods, packaged foods, beverages, personal care products.
- Use By: Safety date. Product must not be consumed or used after this date. Use for highly perishable items, refrigerated products, certain medicines.
Format:
- For products with shelf life above 3 months: MM/YYYY format is acceptable (Best Before: 06/2027)
- For products with shelf life of 3 months or less: Full date required (Use By: 25/06/2026)
Field 6 — Maximum Retail Price (MRP) — The Most Important Field
Exact format required by Legal Metrology Rules:
Every element of this format is mandatory:
- “MRP” — must precede the price. Do not write only the amount without the MRP label.
- ₹ or Rs. — the rupee symbol or “Rs.” must precede the amount.
- Amount inclusive of all taxes — the MRP must include GST, customs duty (imports) and all other applicable taxes. You cannot print an ex-GST price as MRP.
- “(Incl. of all taxes)” — this exact phrase or “(Inclusive of all taxes)” must accompany the MRP. It cannot be omitted.
Common wrong formats seen in Indian market and their violations:
| What was printed | Why it is wrong |
|---|---|
| ₹99 | Missing “MRP” prefix and “Incl. of all taxes” |
| MRP ₹99 | Missing “Incl. of all taxes” |
| MRP Rs. 99.00 | Missing “Incl. of all taxes” |
| Price: ₹99 (excl. GST) | MRP must be inclusive of taxes — ex-GST price is not a valid MRP |
| MRP ₹99 Incl. GST | “Incl. GST” is acceptable but “Incl. of all taxes” is the standard; safest to use the full standard phrase |
MRP font size rules:
| Package Surface Area | Minimum MRP Numeral Height |
|---|---|
| Up to 100 cm² (e.g. small sachet) | 1 mm |
| 100–200 cm² (e.g. 75mm × 100mm label) | 2 mm |
| 200–500 cm² (e.g. 100mm × 150mm label) | 4 mm |
| Above 500 cm² (e.g. large carton) | 6 mm |
What if the MRP changes due to a GST rate revision? You may revise the MRP on existing unsold stock by stamping, affixing a sticker or printing a new label — provided the original MRP remains visible and legible. The revised MRP must strictly reflect only the GST change. Manufacturers must communicate revised MRPs to dealers and Legal Metrology authorities by circular.
Field 7 — Unit Sale Price (USP)
What to print: The price per standard unit of measurement — per gram, per 100g, per ml or per litre. This allows consumers to compare prices between packages of different sizes.
Format: ₹XX.XX per g or ₹XX.XX per 100 ml
USP must be rounded to the nearest two decimal places. The font size for USP must be at least 50% of the font size of the MRP numeral.
When USP is not required:
- Package surface area of 100 cm² or less
- MRP of ₹35 or less
- Wholesale packages (not for direct retail sale)
Field 8 — Consumer Care Details
What to print:
- Company or consumer care contact name
- Address
- Telephone number — must be a working number
- Email address
Example: Consumer Care: Sunshine Foods Pvt. Ltd., Ludhiana. Tel: 1800-XXX-XXXX. Email: care@sunshinefoods.com
This is one of the most commonly incomplete fields in Indian market. A non-functional phone number, a missing email, or using the accounts department email instead of a consumer-facing contact are all grounds for show-cause notices. Use a dedicated consumer care number and email that is actively monitored.
Field 9 — Country of Origin (Imported Products)
For imported goods only. Print “Made in [Country]” or “Country of Origin: [Country]”. The Indian importer’s label cannot replace or omit the country of origin declaration.
Field 10 — FSSAI Licence Number (Food and Beverage Products)
For all food and beverage products. Print the 14-digit FSSAI licence or registration number of the manufacturer or packer. This is a requirement under FSSAI regulations, which apply simultaneously with LMPC on food products.
Format: FSSAI Lic. No: 12345678901234
Field 11 — Barcode (Not Legally Mandatory but Operationally Essential)
A barcode is not a statutory requirement under LMPC Rules. However, without a barcode, your products cannot be scanned at retail checkout, cannot be received into most modern WMS systems and will be rejected by organised retail chains (DMART, Reliance, BigBazaar, Spencer’s) and ecommerce platforms (Amazon, Flipkart, Meesho) that require GS1 barcodes for all products.
Recommended barcode standards for India:
- EAN-13: Standard retail barcode for all consumer products scanned at point of sale. Requires GS1 India company prefix registration.
- GS1-128 / Code 128: For logistics and B2B applications — serial shipping container codes, batch identification.
- QR Code: For digital information links, e-warranty registration, traceability portals.
- GS1 DataMatrix: For pharmaceutical serialisation and small labels where linear barcodes are too large.
GS1 India membership and company prefix registration is required to obtain genuine EAN-13 barcodes. Contact GS1 India at gs1india.org.
Complete MRP Label Example — FMCG Food Product
Plot 12, Phase II Industrial Area, Ludhiana – 141003, Punjab
Consumer Care: Tel: 1800-XXX-XXXX | care@sunshinefoods.com
MRP Label Quick Reference Checklist
Before sending your label template to print, verify every item on this checklist:
| ✓ | Field | Verify |
|---|---|---|
| ☐ | Manufacturer/packer name | Full legal entity name, not just brand name |
| ☐ | Address | Complete with street, city, state and PIN code |
| ☐ | Generic product name | Common name, not just brand/trade name |
| ☐ | Net quantity | Correct unit: g/kg/ml/l only. No “GMS” or “LTR” |
| ☐ | Manufacture date | Month and year minimum. Format MM/YYYY. |
| ☐ | Best before / Use by | Present if product has a shelf life. Correct format per shelf life duration. |
| ☐ | MRP | “MRP ₹XX.XX (Incl. of all taxes)” — all elements present |
| ☐ | MRP font size | Minimum numeral height for your package area (1/2/4/6 mm) |
| ☐ | Unit Sale Price | Present if package >100 cm² and MRP >₹35. Font at least 50% of MRP font. |
| ☐ | Consumer care | Name, address, working phone number, active email |
| ☐ | Country of origin | Required for imported goods |
| ☐ | FSSAI licence number | Required for food and beverage products |
| ☐ | Vegetarian/non-vegetarian symbol | Required for all food products under FSSAI |
| ☐ | Barcode (EAN-13) | Required for organised retail and ecommerce sales |
Print MRP Labels Right Every Time with a TSC Printer and BarTender
Printing compliant MRP labels at scale requires a thermal label printer that delivers consistent resolution and a label design system that locks your template so no field is accidentally moved, resized or deleted between production runs.
Recommended setup for LMPC-compliant MRP label printing in India:
- Printer: TSC TH340 (300 DPI) — for labels under 200 cm² where minimum font sizes require precision. Available at ₹29,750 + GST from Infinite Solutions.
- Software: BarTender Professional or Automation — for locked, variable-data compliant templates connected to your Tally, SAP or ERP system. Infinite Solutions is an authorized BarTender implementation partner.
- Label material: Top-coated thermal paper for short-life labels. BOPP or polyester for labels that must survive outdoors, cold chain or chemical exposure.
- Ribbon: Wax-resin ribbon for paper labels. Full resin ribbon for polyester. Matched to your label stock by Infinite Solutions before supply.
Call or WhatsApp us with your product category, label size and daily printing volume. We will set up a compliant, audit-ready label printing system for your operation.
Contact: sanjay@infinitesolutions.co.in | +91 93110 11467