Screen Protectors Brought Under BIS Certification, Compliance Deadline Set for 2027

Smartphone screen protectors, commonly sold as tempered glass or screen guards, will now have to clear mandatory certification before they can be sold in India. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) issued a notification on September 21 bringing "screen protectors for smartphones" under the compulsory registration framework for electronic goods, a move aimed at curbing the sale of substandard mobile accessories.

Under the new regime, every manufacturer and importer of glass screen guards must have their products tested and certified against the benchmark IS 19348:2025. The standard lays down requirements for glass strength, thickness, scratch resistance, adhesives and special coatings.

What the standard covers

The benchmark addresses several aspects of a screen guard's performance. Products must be able to absorb impact during a fall, and anti-shatter layers will be checked to ensure broken pieces stay together rather than causing injury. Additional features such as oleophobic (fingerprint-resistant) coatings, anti-glare finishes and blue-light filters also fall within its scope.

Packaging will carry new disclosure requirements as well. Manufacturers must clearly print details including the product name, batch number, date of manufacture, exact glass thickness and the BIS standard mark.

Timeline and consumer impact

The rules do not take effect immediately. The compliance deadline is set for April 2027, and buyers can continue purchasing screen guards as usual until then. Once the framework kicks in, the presence of a BIS mark or the IS 19348 marking is expected to give consumers a reliable way to confirm that a guard meets official safety and strength standards, removing the guesswork from a purchase.

Cost implications

Prices are unlikely to jump overnight, but industry observers expect the cost of basic screen protectors to rise over time. Manufacturers and importers will have to bear lab testing and certification expenses, and these compliance costs are expected to be passed on to buyers.

Screen protectors are the 66th category to be notified under the rule. Other items already on the list include smartphones, laptops, mobile and laptop chargers, LED televisions, microwave ovens, printers and set-top boxes.

Welcoming the development, Optiemus Infracom executive chairman Ashok Gupta said the mandatory BIS standards mark an important milestone for the category and a step towards a quality-led, Made-in-India ecosystem. He added that the company is building on its existing screen-protector manufacturing capabilities with a planned additional capacity of 2 crore units to meet emerging demand.

The domestic market for tempered glass screen protectors is estimated at 400 million pieces, with a retail value of Rs 20,000 crore in 2025.