BIS Certification for Storage Units under IS 17634:2022

IS 17634:2022 is the Indian Standard for storage units - the furniture that holds weight all day, every day: wardrobes and almirahs, kitchen and office cabinets, bookshelves, cupboards and shelving. Storage furniture has two characteristic failure modes the standard directly targets: tip-over (a loaded tall wardrobe overturning - a leading cause of child furniture injuries globally) and progressive collapse (shelves, rails and drawer runners sagging or failing under sustained load).

Under the Furniture QCO, every manufacturer and importer of storage furniture for the Indian market - from steel-almirah units to modular wardrobe brands to bookshelf importers - needs an IS 17634 licence from 13 February 2026.

Storage unit testing at a BIS-recognized laboratory concentrates on sustained load and overturning behaviour:

Indian manufacturers - steel almirah units, modular furniture factories, carpentry workshops - follow the domestic ISI route: typically ~30 days after testing, about 3 months end-to-end. Full process, documents and fees: BIS Certification for Indian Manufacturers (ISI Mark).

Foreign manufacturers certify via FMCS with a mandatory Authorized Indian Representative and an overseas factory inspection - typically up to ~180 days. Complete route: BIS FMCS for Foreign Manufacturers.

• Business documents - company registration, GST, legal entity proof (Udyam if claiming MSME benefits)
• Factory layout plan - fabrication/panel processing, assembly and testing areas
• Plant & machinery list - sheet-metal lines or panel saws, edge banders, hardware-insertion equipment
• Raw-material specifications - CRCA sheet / boards / laminates, hinges, runners, locks, with supplier certificates
• Quality control manual and in-process inspection procedures
• Product drawings per IS 17634 for every model, incl. assembly instructions for knock-down units and mounting instructions for wall-mounted units
• Test reports from a BIS-recognised furniture laboratory
• In-house testing equipment list with calibration certificates

Storage is where designs quietly fail - a wardrobe that passes every strength test but tips at the stability rig, a drawer runner that dies at cycling. As a specialist BIS consultant for furniture, Standphill India reviews your designs against IS 17634's pass/fail points before testing, prepares BIS-format documentation, coordinates the lab, readies your factory for inspection and follows the file to CM/L - one team, start to licence.