Quality Inspection in India for Australian Importers

Key takeaways

Home textiles are about 18% of what Australia buys from India in our categories, against about 13% for India's exports as a whole, so bed linen and cushion orders are a large part of the inspection work.
Biosecurity is decided per product in BICON. Bark, live insects, borer holes and soil are visible at the factory and are cheaper to find there than at an Australian port.
Clothing, household textiles and furnishings need care labels under the Care Labelling Information Standard 2023: English words, ISO 3758 symbols, or both.
The Australia–India ECTA has been in force since 29 December 2022. Duty and origin questions belong with your customs broker.

What Australia buys from India

India shipped US$810 million of the goods we inspect to Australia in calendar year 2025, up 2% on 2024. Of that, US$330 million were home goods: furniture, home textiles, rugs, kitchenware, décor and stone. Apparel is the largest single group, but the mix leans more towards the home than India's exports as a whole do.

Source: UN Comtrade, India as reporter, calendar year 2025, FOB. Furniture includes US$28m of HS 9403.
Category	India's exports to Australia, 2025 (US$ million)
Woven apparel (HS 62)	178
Knitted apparel (HS 61)	172
Home textiles (HS 6301–6304)	149
of which bed, table and kitchen linen (6302)	90
of which furnishing articles such as cushion covers and throws (6304)	55
Rugs and carpets (HS 57)	85
Furniture and lighting (HS 9401, 9403–9405)	51
Bags and travel goods	45
Toys and sports goods (HS 95)	36

India's export promotion council for handicrafts reports US$89.15 million of handicraft exports to Australia in fiscal year 2024-25 (April 2024 to March 2025), 2.3% of its total and about level with the year before (EPCH Annual Report 2024-25).

Where these goods are made, and what that means for travel

Bed linen and cushions: Panipat, Haryana, a Town of Export Excellence for bed linen, and Karur, Tamil Nadu, a Town of Export Excellence for handlooms. See bed sheet and duvet cover inspection and cushion inspection.
Rugs: Bhadohi and Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh, both Towns of Export Excellence for carpets, and Panipat for flatweaves and tufted rugs. See hand-tufted rug inspection.
Apparel: Tirupur, the Town of Export Excellence for hosiery, for knitwear; Gurgaon, Noida and Faridabad in Delhi NCR for woven garments. See apparel inspection.
Furniture and décor: Jodhpur and Jaipur, both Towns of Export Excellence for handicrafts. See sheesham wood furniture inspection.

Jodhpur has no travel fee. Jaipur and Delhi NCR are US$99 per man-day, because inspectors are based there. Panipat, Bhadohi, Mirzapur, Karur and Tirupur are charged at actual travel cost, quoted before you book.

Checks at the factory that Australia drives

Biosecurity on natural materials. Wood, cane, rattan, bamboo, jute and seagrass are plant material. The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) sets import conditions per product in BICON. Its "Bamboo products" case, for example, covers dried bamboo articles including handicrafts and baskets, and DAFF says composite goods must meet the conditions for every material in them. Whatever the case says about treatment, goods must arrive clean. On sampled pieces the inspector looks for bark left on legs and frames, borer holes, fresh frass, live insects, mould and soil in packaging. See cane and rattan furniture inspection and basket inspection.

Care labels on textiles. The Consumer Goods (Care Labelling) Information Standard 2023 covers clothing, household textiles, furnishings, piece goods, and leather and suede articles, but not footwear. Labels give care instructions in English words, as ISO 3758 symbols, or both. We check that every piece carries the label, that it matches your approved artwork and that it is sewn where it will stay.

Toppling warnings. Tall chests, wardrobes, bookcases, sideboards and every TV unit need a permanent warning label and matching warnings in the instructions. The inspector checks the label is fixed, legible and visible when the unit is empty.

Packaging data for APCO. The Australian Packaging Covenant applies to businesses with annual turnover of A$5 million or more that meet the NEPM definition of a brand owner; the alternative is meeting state and territory NEPM rules. If your business is covered, ask us to record what each SKU is packed in: carton, inner bag, foam, tape and pallet, by material, with weights if you want them measured.

Wooden packaging. Pallets and crates need ISPM 15 marks or another approved treatment. Container loading supervision checks marks and container cleanliness, so the packing declaration matches what was loaded.

Rules that apply

The customs, biosecurity, toppling-furniture and origin rules are set out on our Australia import compliance checklist. The furniture standards, including bunk beds, cots and bean bags, are on Australian furniture standards, and origin claims on product labelling and country of origin. The Australia–India Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA) entered into force on 29 December 2022, according to DFAT. Whether a shipment qualifies, and at what duty, is a question for your customs broker; we can check that the goods and cartons match the documents behind a certificate of origin.

Time zones and when reports arrive

India Standard Time is UTC+5:30 and has no daylight saving. From April to early October India is 4 hours 30 minutes behind Sydney and Melbourne; in daylight-saving months the gap is 5 hours 30 minutes. Perth is 2 hours 30 minutes ahead of India all year. Our office hours, 9:30 am to 6:30 pm IST Monday to Saturday, start at 2:00 pm in Sydney in winter and noon in Perth, so an afternoon in Australia overlaps the inspection day.

An inspection usually ends after the east-coast working day. The report, with photographs and a verdict of Cleared to load, Hold or Not cleared, follows within 24 hours after a supervisor's review. Booking requests are confirmed within 24 hours.

Booking and price

A pre-shipment inspection costs US$249 per man-day: one inspector, one factory, one working day of 8 hours, report included. Travel is added by band. For bed linen or rugs, a during-production inspection catches shade and size problems while they can still be fixed. For a new supplier, a factory audit costs US$449 per audit day. Tell us the destination is Australia and send your care label and warning artwork, so those checks go on the list. See pricing or book an inspection.

Sources

Frequently asked questions

Can an inspection in India prevent a biosecurity hold in Australia?

It reduces the risk. The inspector checks sampled pieces and packaging for bark, insects, borer holes and soil, and photographs treatment certificates. DAFF decides at the border, and BICON sets the conditions for each product, so check the current case before you order.

Do Indian textiles need English care labels for Australia?

Clothing, household textiles and furnishings need care labels under the Care Labelling Information Standard 2023, using English words, ISO 3758 symbols, or both. Footwear is exempt. We check every sampled piece against your approved label artwork.

Is my business covered by APCO?

The covenant applies to businesses with annual turnover of A$5 million or more that meet the NEPM definition of a brand owner. Ask APCO or your adviser whether that is you. If it is, we can record the packaging materials for each SKU at the factory.

What does the Australia–India ECTA change for an inspection?

Nothing in the quality checks. The agreement has been in force since 29 December 2022. Your broker decides whether goods qualify; we can confirm that marks, cartons and quantities match the invoice and packing list behind the certificate of origin.

Can you inspect rugs in Bhadohi and bed linen in Panipat on one trip?

Yes, as separate man-days, one per factory per day. Both towns are outside our inspector bases, so travel is charged at actual cost and quoted before you book.

Know before it ships

Tell us the product, the factory's city and your ready date. We confirm the inspector, the notice time and the price before you book.

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Quality inspection in India for importers in Australia