Key takeaways
- An FSC claim is only valid if the seller is certified and its invoice states the claim and its certificate code.
- A non-certified factory or trader in the chain breaks the chain of custody, even if the wood came from an FSC source.
- Check the certificate status and product scope in FSC's public certificate search before each order.
- Indian plantation timber still needs the felling and transit documents its state requires; rules and exempt species vary by state.
- FSC is voluntary. EUDR and the Lacey Act are laws, and FSC alone does not satisfy them.
FSC chain of custody and the three labels
The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) runs two kinds of certification. Forest management certification covers the forest. Chain of custody (CoC) certification, under the standard FSC-STD-40-004, covers each company that buys, processes and sells the material afterwards. A furniture factory that wants to sell FSC products needs its own CoC certificate.
| Label | Meaning |
|---|---|
| FSC 100% | All material comes from FSC-certified forests |
| FSC Mix | A mix of material from FSC-certified forests, recycled material and/or FSC Controlled Wood |
| FSC Recycled | The product is made from 100% recycled material |
Under FSC-STD-40-004 V3-1, sales documents for products sold with an FSC claim must show the seller's FSC certificate code and a clear claim for each product, such as “FSC Mix 70%”. A buyer that is itself certified must check its supplier's invoices for the claim and the code. FSC's interpretations state that non-certified companies may not put FSC claims or certificate codes on their own sales or transport documents.
How to verify an FSC certificate
Every certificate holder has two identifiers. The licence code has the form FSC-C followed by six digits and appears on labelled products. The certificate code, such as XXX-COC-000000, shows the certification body and certificate type and appears on invoices.
- Search the code in FSC's public certificate search (the successor to the older info.fsc.org database). No result means the certificate is not valid: expired, suspended or terminated, or the code is wrong.
- Check the status and expiry date against your order and shipment dates.
- Check the product scope. The certificate lists the product groups the holder may sell with FSC claims. Solid wood furniture must be in scope.
- Match the name and address with the factory you are buying from. A certificate held by a timber depot or a sister company does not cover the factory.
Indian timber: sources and legal documents
Wood furniture from Jodhpur, Jaipur and other Indian centres is commonly made from plantation and farm-grown hardwoods such as sheesham, mango and acacia, alongside imported timber. Before accepting an FSC claim on such furniture, ask where the certified timber came from and check the supplier's certificate code on the timber invoice.
Legal origin is a separate question from FSC. In a Lok Sabha reply of 27 July 2026, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change said:
- Felling of trees and transit permits for timber grown on farms are regulated by each state under the Indian Forest Act, 1927, state forest acts, state tree acts, their rules and court orders.
- The list of exempt tree species, and the procedures and documents for felling and transit permits, vary from state to state.
- The National Transit Pass System (NTPS), launched in December 2023, issues transit passes and no-objection certificates online for timber, bamboo and other forest produce.
- Model Rules for felling of trees on agricultural land, issued in June 2025, are advisory; each state decides whether to adopt them.
Section 41 of the Indian Forest Act lets governments make rules that prohibit moving timber without a pass. In practice, a factory should be able to show, for each timber lot, the purchase invoice from a sawmill or depot and the felling permit, transit pass or exemption that applied in the state of origin. For imported logs and sawn timber, it should hold the supplier invoice, bill of entry and any certification documents.
Where FSC meets EUDR and the Lacey Act
| Requirement | Type | What it asks of Indian furniture |
|---|---|---|
| FSC chain of custody | Voluntary certification | Certified chain and FSC claims on invoices, if you sell the product as FSC |
| EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) | EU law | Legal harvest under the laws of the country of production, deforestation-free, geolocation of the plots, due diligence statement |
| US Lacey Act | US law | No illegally sourced plants or wood; plant product declaration with species and country of harvest for covered goods |
The state felling and transit documents above are the evidence of legal harvest that EUDR and Lacey Act diligence relies on. An FSC certificate helps with risk assessment but does not replace those documents or the EUDR due diligence statement.
What an inspection or audit can verify
| An inspector or auditor at the factory can check | Needs FSC, the certification body or a lab |
|---|---|
| The factory's FSC certificate is valid, in its own name, and covers the product | Whether the certification body's audits were sound |
| Timber purchase invoices carry FSC claims and supplier certificate codes for the volumes used | Full volume reconciliation across the certificate period |
| Felling permits, transit passes or exemption documents exist for timber lots in the store | Whether a permit is genuine (the issuing forest department) |
| The species in production matches the order and the documents | Wood species identification by anatomy, where it is disputed |
| FSC labels on products and cartons match the invoice claim |
How Clear To Load checks this in India
A factory audit in India can include a review of timber purchase records, FSC certificates and the permits on file for recent timber lots. On a furniture inspection, the inspector checks that the species and labels match the order and photographs the documents the factory shows. We report what we saw; we do not certify legality.
Each inspection ends in a verdict: Cleared to load, Hold or Not cleared. To add these checks, book an inspection.