BIS can deadline moves to April 2027 as packaging costs jump 30-40%

The government has extended mandatory Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) certification for aluminium beverage cans by six months. Large manufacturers must comply from April 1, 2027, small ones from July 1, and micro enterprises from October 1, 2027, the Economic Times reported on October 23¹. The earlier deadline was October 31, 2026¹.

The relief lands in the middle of a fresh packaging cost shock. Plastic raw material prices rose 15-20% in two to three weeks and are about 60% above pre-war levels, according to Thimmaiah Napanda of Alternicq, India's largest maker of rigid plastic packaging². He puts the rise in brands' packaging costs at 30-40%².

What changed, and from when

The quality control order came in April 2025. It covers aluminium cans used for alcoholic drinks, soft drinks and food processing^1, 3. It sets standards for materials, dimensions, sealing, pressure resistance, leakage and protective coatings¹.

The dates were notified "last week", according to a can maker quoted by ET. ET did not publish the notification number. Its report rests on that executive and on Vinod Giri, director general of the Brewers Association of India¹.

Two things are worth separating. The extension moves a deadline; it is not reported as a waiver. ET does not say that uncertified cans, imported or domestic, may be sold until April 2027, or that the order has been opened up for imports¹. Buyers should confirm with each supplier whether the plant named on the contract holds a BIS licence, and get that in writing.

This is not the first extension. ET reported on January 25, 2026, that the government had extended the compliance deadlines for aluminium cans, with domestic capacity then more than 20% short³. Almost 800 products are now under quality control orders, and Delhi is rolling back some provisions to give small firms room³.

Supply: a fifth short, and lines take a year

The industry expected to add 600 million cans of domestic capacity but achieved only half of that, Giri said¹. Major suppliers have exhausted existing capacity, and new lines can take up to a year to run¹. BIS-certified overseas manufacturers have not been able to meet India's demand, he added¹.

The gap is not new. ET reported an annual deficit of 12-13 crore cans for the beer industry in October 2025, and capacity more than 20% short in January 2026³. Cans now account for more than a quarter of beer and soft drink sales, double the share two years ago¹.

ET did not name the domestic can makers or publish any expansion schedule. It reported that the war has disrupted expansion plans¹. On the record available, the extra capacity is expected, not contracted.

The import premium

Beverage makers have turned to cans from the UAE, Sri Lanka and South-East Asia. Imported cans cost 25-30% more than domestic ones, ET reported¹. That is a quoted range, not a published landed cost build-up.

Aluminium costs more than a year ago. It averaged $3,283 a tonne in September, up 23.7% from a year earlier⁴. Brent crude was $115.22 a barrel on October 20, up 89.8% on a year earlier⁵. The rupee traded at 94.94 to the dollar on October 23⁶.

Plastics are the bigger, faster bill

Packaging is 15-25% of product cost, and the highest share is in personal and home care². That is where a resin spike hurts fastest.

Mint reported the resin move without a grade-by-grade breakdown. It said the increase hits the plastics in most bottles, containers and caps, and that brands are shifting to PET from HDPE and PP². Laminate film is up 20% in recent weeks and 30-40% on a year earlier, said Amit Kumat of Prataap Snacks². Mint attributes the resin rise to US-Iran tensions², with Brent crude up 89.8% from a year earlier⁵.

Recycled plastic is now 20-30% cheaper than virgin material, Napanda said, reversing the earlier position². Scale is the catch. Mint quotes a cosmetics maker saying any switch depends on availability and could take years, and a consultant saying there is little scope for new substitutions in the near term².

What buyers are doing now

Some moves are already in contracts. Plum Goodness is buying larger volumes and sourcing from vendors holding stock bought at lower prices². It has cut bottle thickness and modified caps where technically feasible².

Pack redesign is slower. Prataap Snacks is narrowing seals from 12mm to 8mm and trimming a 200mm pack to 190mm. Kumat said these changes could offset about half of the 20% laminate increase, but need new printing cylinders, and it can take "at least two months"². The company has also cut some pellet snack packs from 25g to about 20g².

On price, the guidance is post-Diwali. Arvind Singhal of The Knowledge Company expects most brands to hold until after Diwali, with products shipped to distributors at higher prices potentially from mid-November². Parle Products' Mayank Shah pointed to December onwards⁷. Plum, which raised prices 7-10% this year, may move again before the festive season ends².

What to watch

• Whether other packaging quality control orders get the same treatment. With almost 800 products covered, the can precedent is worth tracking³.
• Whether imports ramp up before the summer 2027 season. Giri said the timing helps brewers "plan and build inventory for the summer season of 2027"¹.
• The next resin print. Wholesale prices rose 11.39% in September from 9.9% in August⁸, and Mint's sources expect more pass-through².

A short checklist before the 2027 season. First, get BIS licence numbers for every can plant in your supply base. Second, split import quotes into metal, conversion, freight and duty. Third, fix film and resin volumes before the post-Diwali price reset. Fourth, test seal and pack-size changes now, because tooling takes two months or more^1, 2.