Sixth and Seventh Schedules explained: this guide covers what it means, who it applies to, the step-by-step process, documents required, fees, due dates and penalties in India — so you can stay compliant with confidence and avoid costly mistakes.
These two Schedules belong to rule 19. The Sixth Schedule explains how an officer works out the net quantity of goods in sample packages, using tare weight, averages and a correction. The Seventh Schedule gives the two data sheets (Form A for weight, Form B for volume or length) on which the results are written and signed.
The Sixth Schedule has ten paragraphs in two parts: equipment and method. Net weight is gross weight minus tare. A single tare reading can stand for all packages only if it is no more than three-tenths of the maximum permissible error; otherwise five tare readings are taken and the spread must not exceed four-tenths of that error. The corrected average is the average plus the standard deviation multiplied by the correction factor. Results go on Form A or Form B, signed by the manufacturer or packer, or a witness.
Sixth Schedule, Part I: equipment
Paragraph 1. The concerned Government must provide the Director, Controller or Legal Metrology Officer with "adequate equipments and facilities" to work to the required accuracy. The equipment ordinarily consists of working standard weights and balances, or any other weight or measure the Director declares suitable. Before determining net quantity, the officer must ensure that the working standards and equipment are functioning properly.
Paragraph 2. Ordinarily duly verified working standards and other weights and measures are used. A proviso covers weights and measures owned or controlled by the manufacturer, packer or wholesale dealer: they "shall be used unless" their maximum permissible error is twenty per cent or less of the maximum error permitted for the net quantity of the commodity. The text is scanned, and the proviso reads awkwardly, so check the gazette wording before relying on it in a dispute. Two duties follow: every manufacturer, packer or wholesale dealer must render such assistance as the officer requires, and equipment of theirs used by the officer cannot be released until the work is completed.
If an inspection raises a technical point about equipment, our legal consultation service can help you frame it in reply.
Part II: method, paragraph by paragraph
| Para | Subject | Key points |
|---|---|---|
| 3(1) | Empty tare packages available | One empty package weighed; if tare is three-tenths or less of the maximum permissible error, that tare is used for all sample packages |
| 3(1) cont. | Tare above three-tenths | Four more empties weighed; if the difference between maximum and minimum of the five is four-tenths or less of the maximum permissible error, the average tare is used |
| 3(2), (3) | No empties | One package opened; same three-tenths test, then four more opened and the five-package test |
| 3(4) | Tare varies too much and opening all is needed | Sample size restricted to the Fifth Schedule column (2) for the lot |
| 3(5) | Destructive testing | Marked empties fed into the packing process at random, tare recorded on the package and the form |
| 3(6) | Recording | Gross, net and tare entered in the Seventh Schedule form |
| 4 | Liquids by volume | Weight method if specific gravity is constant and accurately known; otherwise contents poured into a volume measure and read |
| 5 | Length | Sample per Fifth Schedule; calibrated steel tape, or a calibrated instrument checked against it |
| 6 | Number | Actual counting in each sample package; packages may be opened |
| 7 | Other declarations | Declarations examined for conformity; additional declarations under rule 6(1)(f) and (g) checked for adequacy |
| 8 to 10 | Average and corrected average | See below |
The paragraph 3 steps matter in practice because tare (wrapper, bottle, carton) is often a large share of a small pack's weight. The test is about the maximum permissible error for that commodity and quantity, taken from the First Schedule (see rules 22 and 23). Paragraph 3(4) cross-refers to the sample size in the Fifth Schedule.
Paragraphs 8 to 10: the corrected average
Paragraphs 8 to 10 were substituted by G.S.R. 629(E) of 23 June 2017, in force from 1 January 2018.
- Paragraph 8: the mean is the sum of the individual values divided by the number of sample packages, n.
- Paragraph 9: the standard deviation of the individual values is found from a formula. In the scanned text the formula itself is not legible, so it is not reproduced here; read it in the gazette.
- Paragraph 10: the corrected average net quantity is the average plus the standard deviation multiplied by C, "where C is the correction factor". C is in the second table of the Fifth Schedule.
The corrected average is what rule 19(6)(a) compares with the declared net quantity. Because the standard deviation is multiplied by C and added, a lot with wide variation between packages gets a higher corrected average than its raw mean, a point for manufacturers to note when reading a report.
Seventh Schedule: Forms A and B
Form A is the Weight Checking Data Sheet and Form B is the Volume/Length Checking Data Sheet. Both carry the footnote of the 2017 substitution. The headings readable in the scan are:
| Part | Content |
|---|---|
| A | Particulars of package: name of manufacturer or packer, address, price, month, year |
| B | Commodity classification: lot size, sample size, whether First or Second Schedule, Class A or B, maximum permissible error |
| C | Checking data: for each sample, gross weight, tare weight, net weight or error, remarks |
| D | Results: declared weight (or volume, length) and the average found |
| E | General comments on compliance with the Act and Rules |
| F | Signatures and names: manufacturer or packer, or authorised person, or competent witness; place, designation, name, time |
A note says that if the sheet runs to more than one page, each continuation sheet must bear the signatures in Part F. The scan of the forms is partly garbled (column alignments and some labels in Part B), so the table lists only what is readable. Rule 19(2) requires the officer to get the signature and to hand over a copy, as covered in the rule 19 article.
Practical examples
Example 1. Sample packages of a snack are in a plastic pouch. An empty pouch is weighed; its weight is well within three-tenths of the maximum permissible error for that pack size. The officer takes that tare for all packages and finds net weight by subtracting it from each gross weight.
Example 2. A manufacturer receives Form A after inspection and notices Part F was signed by a security guard. Under rule 19(2) the signature should be that of the manufacturer, packer or authorised agent, or a competent witness if they are absent or refuse; the manufacturer can raise what happened in reply, and a professional can help draft it.
Need help reading an inspection data sheet?
A Form A or Form B sheet is the core evidence in a net quantity case. Our legal consultation service can help you check the tare method, the average calculation and the signatures against the Schedules.
Key takeaways
- Net quantity is worked out from gross and tare; the tare test uses three-tenths and four-tenths of the maximum permissible error.
- Destructive tests use marked empties fed into the packing process at random.
- Liquids are measured by weight if the specific gravity is constant, otherwise by volume.
- The corrected average is the mean plus the standard deviation times the correction factor.
- Form A covers weight; Form B covers volume and length; both need signatures, including on continuation sheets.
- The standard deviation formula is illegible in the source scan; read the gazette.
Read next
- Rule 19 of the Packaged Commodities Rules, 2011: Inspection at manufacturer or packer premises
- Rule 19 Fifth Schedule: selection of sample packages
- Rule 20 of the Packaged Commodities Rules, 2011: Action after inspection
- Verification procedure for instruments
Disclaimer: Based on the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011 (as amended up to March 2022; check later amendments), read with the Legal Metrology Act, 2009 (Act 1 of 2010), as on 30 September 2026. The Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2023 (in force) and the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2026 (in force only from the date the Central Government notifies) amend the Act's penalty and procedure sections, not the Sixth or Seventh Schedule. State Legal Metrology rules, later amendments and notifications change; verify the current position before acting.