The ISI mark is mandatory for certain products to be sold in India, such as electrical appliances[2] including switches, electric motors, wiring cables, heaters, kitchen appliances, etc., and other products like Portland cement, LPG valves, LPG cylinders, automotive tyres,[3] etc.

[4][5] It is very common in India to find products with fake ISI marks.

That is, industrial traders cheat customers by affixing ISI marks on the product without actually being certified.

[6] Fake ISI marks usually do not carry For example, if a kitchen grinder's box has a small ISI mark on it with the ISI code of the appliance's wire, one can conclude that the wire is BIS-certified but the appliance itself is not an BIS-certified product.

Counterfeiting ISI marks is a punishable offence by the law, but enforcement is uncommon.