ISI vs BIS: Difference and Comparison

Your certification can demonstrate to your customers that your products and services meet their expectations.

Have you ever wondered what those ISI (Indian) marks on a product you just bought mean?

Well if not then below you’ll see what ISI is and who provides those certifications to the Indian manufacturers or product processors.

Firstly, an ISI Certification signifies an outstanding level of product quality along with the assurance of how reliable is that product along with health safety, and several other positive out marks.

This certification is provided by BIS.

Key Takeaways

1. ISI is the Indian Standards Institution, while BIS is the Bureau of Indian Standards.
2. BIS replaced ISI as the national standards body of India in 1987.
3. BIS is responsible for standardization, certification, and quality assurance in various sectors, while ISI focuses only on standardization.

ISI vs BIS

ISI is a quality assurance mark given by the government of India for the guaranteed positive quality of the product. BIS is a governmental organization of India that provides the certification of ISI. They are responsible for marking the quality and guaranteeing quality assurance.

In 1947, the Government of India issued a resolution that set up the Indian Standards Institution (ISI) as a society.

The Indian Standards Institution (ISI) has given the citizens of India the standards necessary for standardization, such as quality assurance and competitive coherence along with industrial development.

In India, the National body of standardization is the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).

The Bureau of Industrial Standardization, in short, ‘BIS’, looks over the activities of standardization along with marking the quality and guaranteeing quality assurance, and certification of goods, as well as other remaining matters relating to these activities. 

Comparison Table

Parameters of comparison	ISI	BIS
Full form	Indian Standard Institute.	the Bureau of Indian Standards
Definition	it is a quality assurance or standard given by the government of India	It is a governmental organization of India which provides/offers the certification of ISI.
Purpose	To certify Indian products and protect the economy of local manufacturers.	To look after the processes of standardization necessary for ISI.
Time of Origin	28 April 1932	26 November 1986
Purpose	To guarantee the high quality of the product.	To guarantee that the company makes a high-quality product.

What is ISI?

ISI is the quality assurance or standard given by the government of India for the guaranteed positive quality of the product Frequently, ISI marks can be seen proudly displayed on the majority of the products found in India.

Founded after independence, the Indian Standards Institute (ISI) was established to demonstrate and develop the standards which are essential to the development of a healthy economy that is both productive and efficient.

A shift in India’s socio-economic climate led to the need for a stronger governing body midway through the mid-1980s.

It became the Indian Standards Institute (ISI) and, subsequently, the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).

Nevertheless, the “ISI mark” is still used as an assurance certificate that the product satisfies and follows all the government-mandated quality standard guidelines.

There are various benefits of having the ISI certification done. Those are :

•   As the ISI mark is issued only after a proper investigation of the product, quality and standards are set.
•  The company will give you a replacement product if you aren’t satisfied with the ISI-marked product you received.  
• If the product with the ISI mark is not of good quality, the manufacturer can be charged.  

What is BIS?

In India, the National body of standardization is the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).

The Bureau of Industrial Standardization, in short, ‘BIS’, looks over the activities of standardization along with marking the quality and guaranteeing quality assurance, and certification of goods, as well as other remaining matters relating to these activities.

In addition to providing high-quality products, BIS acts as an asset for citizens of India by protecting the environment and elevating exports and import of goods along with controlling the overproliferation of varieties of products through its process of standardization and other activities like conformity assessment.

In addition to benefiting the consumer and industry, BIS’ rules and certification also support several public rules, including product safety and protection of the environment by banning the majority of the pollutants and promoting the use of environmental chemicals, etc.

Through its activities of standardization and certification, BIS has worked to address various national and government initiatives like the Make in India movement as it promotes the importance of BIS and ISI certification, as well as ease of doing businesses in India.

BIS continues to deal with the following issues in standard development processes. Those are:

• changes in technology
• change in climatic conditions
• protection of enviournment
• changes in safety and health

Main Differences Between ISI and BIS

• ISI refers to the quality assurance guidelines which is set by the government of India whereas the organ of the Indian government who sets these guidelines is called as BIS.
• ISI refers to the certification which says that the product you’re buying is of high quality whereas BIS is the organization that provides that certification.
• ISI is a mark, a logo whereas BIS is a working organisation that works for the government.
• ISI guarantees the quality of the product whereas BIS guarantees that the production company is following all the standards set by them.
• ISI is a proof mark of completion of the process of standardization whereas BIS is the one who see that the process of standardization is done without using any unfair means.

References

1. https://esd.copernicus.org/articles/4/219/2013/
2. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03772063.1980.11452196

Last Updated : 20 July, 2023