Defining acceptable variation for hand-made goods
No two hand-beaten brass bowls or hand-carved mango-wood trays are identical. That is part of what buyers pay for. It also means a standard inspection checklist will either fail good goods or pass bad ones, unless the tolerance for natural variation is agreed before production.
We ask buyers to set out, for each style:
- Size tolerance. For example ±5 mm on a tray or ±3% on a lamp height, as the buyer decides.
- Colour and finish range. Two or three approved reference pieces (lightest, target, darkest) are better than one golden sample.
- What counts as character, and what counts as a defect. Tool marks, grain and small hammer marks may be accepted; cracks, rust, bare metal and loose parts are not.
The inspector then samples under ISO 2859-1 (see the AQL guide) and classifies each finding as critical, major or minor against that agreed list. Without written tolerances, judgement calls end up in the report as open questions, and the verdict may be Hold rather than Cleared to load.
Clusters, products and travel bands
India's handicraft exports were ₹33,123 crore (US$3,918 million) in 2024-25, of which ₹12,814.73 crore (US$1,518.18 million) went to the US, according to the Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH press release, 26 August 2025). The US tariff rise later in 2025 hit several décor clusters, including Jodhpur and Moradabad, so 2025-26 volumes are likely to be lower.
| Cluster | Main décor products | Context (source, date) | Travel band |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jodhpur, Rajasthan | Wooden décor, iron and mixed-material pieces, bone and horn craft, reclaimed-wood accessories | Town of Export Excellence for handicraft (DGFT Appendix 1B). Handicraft exports estimated at about ₹4,500 crore a year (exporters to ETV Bharat, 1 Dec 2025) | A: no travel fee |
| Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh | Brass, aluminium and iron décor, lighting, tableware | Named a Town of Export Excellence for handicrafts under the Foreign Trade Policy 2023 (EPCH, 31 Mar 2023). Moradabad Metal Craft is a registered GI (certificate 31 Mar 2014) | B: US$99 per man-day |
| Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh | Carved wood décor, boxes, small furniture | Town of Export Excellence for handicrafts (DGFT). Saharanpur Wood Craft is a registered GI (certificate 31 Mar 2014) | B: US$99 per man-day |
| Jaipur, Rajasthan | Painted and carved wood, stone and marble décor, blue pottery, block-printed textiles | Town of Export Excellence for handicrafts (DGFT) | B: US$99 per man-day |
| Delhi NCR | Export houses consolidating décor from several clusters | Greater Noida hosts the IHGF Delhi Fair for home décor and furniture | B: US$99 per man-day |
| Firozabad, Uttar Pradesh | Glass décor, candle holders and lanterns, festive ornaments | Town of Export Excellence for glass artwares (DGFT) | C: actual travel cost |
| Barmer, Rajasthan | Embroidered, appliqué and printed textile décor | Town of Export Excellence for handicrafts (DGFT) | C: actual travel cost |
| Udaipur and Kishangarh, Rajasthan | Marble and stone décor, bone inlay | Marble processing centres (see the city pages for sources) | C: actual travel cost |
| Srinagar and Varanasi | Papier mâché and walnut carving; glass beads and lacquered wooden toys | Srinagar: TEE for handicrafts (DGFT). Varanasi: TEE for handlooms and handicrafts under FTP 2023 (EPCH, 31 Mar 2023) | C: actual travel cost |
Many orders combine several workshops, with goods finished and packed at one export house. Tell us where the goods will be packed; that is usually where the inspection happens. Check travel and notice for any other town on the coverage page.
What a décor inspection in India costs
The fee is US$249 per man-day: one inspector, one factory, one working day of 8 hours, with the report included within 24 hours. As a guide, one man-day covers up to 5 styles of smaller décor at General Inspection Level II. Large lots, many styles, lamp electrical checks on every style or full drop tests can need more.
| Where the goods are | Travel fee | Example: one man-day |
|---|---|---|
| Jodhpur (Band A) | None | US$249 |
| Jaipur, Saharanpur, Moradabad, Delhi NCR, Kolkata (Band B) | US$99 per man-day | US$348 |
| Anywhere else (Band C) | Actual travel cost, quoted before you book | US$249 plus travel |
A reinspection after rework is US$149 per visit, plus travel by band. Lab testing coordination, for lead in brass or food-contact tests on serveware, is US$99 per order, with lab fees billed at cost. The fee is fixed at booking and is the same whether the lot passes or fails. Full details are on the pricing page.
What we check, by material
| Material | Category checks |
|---|---|
| Wood (mango, sheesham, acacia) | Cracks and splits, moisture content, mould, filler and patching, finish colour and sheen, wobble on bases, insect holes |
| Brass | Plating or antique finish evenness, lacquer coverage and peeling, tarnish spots, solder joints, dents, sharp rims |
| Iron | Rust, especially at welds and inside hollow parts; powder coat or paint adhesion; sharp edges and burrs; weld strength on hooks and brackets |
| Aluminium | Casting porosity and pinholes, polish and anodised finish, dents, base flatness |
| Glass | Chips, cracks, bubbles and seeds, wall thickness, sharp rims, stability of vases and candle holders |
| Marble and stone | Cracks and veining against the approved range, polish, inlay gaps, felt pads, weight against carton strength |
| Textile décor | Size, stitching, colour against the approved sample, colour bleed, embroidery and print alignment, fibre and care labels |
Every order also gets the general checks: quantity, dimensions, assembly of multi-part pieces such as lamps and wall shelves, function of lids, hinges and switches, and labels. For serveware that touches food, such as brass bowls, wooden boards and glass tumblers, the inspector checks the finish on food-contact surfaces and that the buyer's lab report covers the same finish and material.
Typical findings in Indian décor
| Defect | Typical cause | Usual class |
|---|---|---|
| Rust spots on iron | Bare metal left at welds, humid storage, coating applied over rust | Major |
| Lacquer peeling or cloudy on brass | Poor surface cleaning before lacquer, uneven spray | Major |
| Sharp edges or burrs | Cut or cast edges not filed | Critical if it can cut in normal use, otherwise major |
| Cracks in wood | Timber not dried, or dried too fast | Major |
| Mould on wood or packing | Damp storage, wet packing materials during the monsoon | Major |
| Chips and cracks in glass or marble | Handling damage, weak internal packing | Major |
| Colour outside the approved range | Batch-to-batch finishing by different artisans | Minor or major, as agreed |
| Wrong or missing labels | Labels printed late, or for a different market | Major |
Classifications are a starting point. The buyer's defect list decides the final class.
Our published sample reports are furniture inspections, but three of their findings are the same faults décor buyers see in the same materials. A Jodhpur lot of wood, iron and marble pieces was not cleared on cracks in marble tops and badly filled cracks, with scratches on iron stands (Sample 04). A bar cabinet with built-in lighting had a light fitting that was wrong on every unit, which the factory corrected on site (Sample 06); lamps and lit décor deserve the same check. Nesting tables arrived in two sizes and visibly different colours within one style (Sample 05), the kind of variation an agreed tolerance is meant to settle before production.
Packing and drop tests for fragile décor
Glass, marble and thin-walled metalware break in transit more often than in the factory. The inspector checks:
- Individual wrapping, dividers and void fill, so pieces cannot touch or move.
- Inner and master carton strength against the weight, especially for marble and stone.
- Dry packing materials and silica gel or VCI paper for iron and brass, where specified.
- Barcodes, shipping marks and "fragile" or orientation marks.
- A carton drop test on a sample, following an ISTA procedure or the buyer's protocol, then a check of every piece inside.
For wood packing, crates and pallets must carry the ISPM-15 mark. Container loading supervision then checks stacking and the seal.
Rules in the main markets
An inspection checks the labels, markings and documents these rules call for. Chemical limits are checked by an accredited lab, and we can pull the samples.
- EU: GPSR. Regulation (EU) 2023/988 has applied since 13 December 2024. Every product needs an EU-based responsible economic operator, named on the product, its packaging or an accompanying document, plus a product identifier.
- EU: food-contact serveware. Regulation (EC) No 1935/2004 requires food-contact materials not to transfer their constituents to food in quantities that could endanger health. Buyers usually ask for a lab migration test on brass, plated, glazed or lacquered serveware.
- US: Proposition 65 (California). Products that can expose consumers to listed chemicals, such as lead in brass, need a clear warning. Amended short-form warnings, which must name at least one chemical, took effect on 1 January 2025. Products made from 1 January 2028 that carry a short-form warning must use the new format.
- US: lead in paint. Under 16 CFR 1303, paint and similar coatings on children's products and certain furniture articles must not contain more than 90 ppm lead. Décor that is also furniture, such as a painted stool or side table, falls under this limit.
- EU: EUDR. Some wooden products are in scope by HS code. See the EUDR guide.
In Great Britain, the General Product Safety Regulations 2005 still apply; Northern Ireland follows the EU GPSR.
Sources
- EPCH press release: handicraft exports 2024-25 and US share (26 Aug 2025)
- EPCH press release: Moradabad and Varanasi declared Towns of Export Excellence (31 Mar 2023)
- DGFT, Foreign Trade Policy Appendix 1B: List of Towns of Export Excellence (read 14 Oct 2026)
- ETV Bharat: Jodhpur's handicraft industry braces for double whammy (1 Dec 2025)
- IP India GI Registry: Moradabad Metal Craft, application 161 (certificate 31 Mar 2014, read 14 Oct 2026)
- IP India GI Registry: Saharanpur Wood Craft, application 184 (certificate 31 Mar 2014, read 14 Oct 2026)
- Regulation (EU) 2023/988 on general product safety (applies from 13 Dec 2024)
- Regulation (EC) No 1935/2004 on food-contact materials
- California OEHHA: Proposition 65 warnings (read 14 Oct 2026)
- CPSC: Lead in paint, 16 CFR 1303 (read 14 Oct 2026)
- UK government: General Product Safety Regulations 2005 (Great Britain)