Free checklist · Insecticides Rules, 1971
✓ Rules as amended to 3 June 2025 · checked 24 October 2026
Pesticide label and leaflet checklist, by pack size
Everything Rules 18 and 19 require on the primary pack, the secondary pack and the leaflet, with the rule behind every line. Pick your pack size, tick items as you check your artwork, and watch the sample label fill up. Work out your toxicity square to scale, and test your QR code.
3pack-size groups: ultra-small, small, big
23items on the full label, (a) to (w)
14items on the primary pack of small and ultra-small packs
21items in the leaflet, (a) to (u)
Current rules: Rules 18 and 19 as amended to 3 June 2025. A draft of 5 June 2026 (G.S.R. 453(E)) proposes changes; they are shown separately and are not in force. See the draft →
Pesticide label and leaflet checklist · Insecticides Rules, 1971, Rules 18 and 19, as amended to 3 June 2025 · nanokheti.com/downloads/insecticides/label-checklist/
Product: ________________________ · Pack size group: Small (51 to 250 g or ml) · Checked by: ________________ · Date: ____________
Make your checklist
1. Pack size
2. Highly inflammable?
3. Household insecticide?
Small pack: 14 items on the primary pack, the full label (23 items plus the toxicity square and pictograms) on the secondary pack, and the leaflet (21 items).
0 of 0 items checked · your ticks stay in this browser
Illustration
See it on a label: tap a letter
Swipe sideways to see the whole label →
Red letter = still to check · green = ticked below.Fixed by the Rules: “Read Leaflet Before Use” at the top; brand and common name equal, together ≤ 20% of the panel;
toxicity square (◆) at least 1/16 of the panel or 4 sq cm; pictograms (▲) at the bottom of the right-hand panel on big labels. Other positions vary; print your approved label.
Free tool
Label size calculator: what your panel needs
Enter the size of your label panel. You get the smallest toxicity square, the most space the brand and common name may take, pictogram and font sizes, and a template you can print at actual size and hold against your pack.
For a label with several panels, enter the panel your approved label treats as the label panel (usually the one with the toxicity square). In the print window choose scale 100% (not “fit to page”), then check the 5 cm bar with a ruler. Sizes are minimums from Rules 18 and 19; your approved label and leaflet are what you print.
Free tool
QR code checker: does yours pass Rule 19?
Since 23 March 2023 the QR code on the retail pack must carry at least a unique identifier or GTIN, the batch number, the manufacturing date, the expiry date and a web link (Rule 19(1)(i)(w)). A code that only opens a web page is not enough, even if the page shows the batch and dates: they must be in the code itself. Scan your pack, choose a photo of it, or paste what the code contains. Nothing is uploaded: the check runs in your browser. If yours fails, make one that passes just below.
Make a QR code that passes
Fill in the details of one batch. You get a link that carries all five items and a QR code to print. Scanning it still opens your web page.
Print it at least 2 cm wide, dark on a light background, with a clear margin all round. The batch and dates change with every batch, so make a new code for each batch: on that batch’s label print run, or as a sticker or inkjet print at packing. Then scan the printed code with a phone: it must open your page with the full label and leaflet.
Want it made for you, as a print-ready PDF? The pesticide QR code generator makes one small code for each batch: it carries the identifier, batch and dates, and opens a page with the five Rule 19 items and your registration, crops and doses (Rs. 69 + GST, PDF and PNG, GST invoice).
Rule 19(1)
Your pack size decides the label
| Rule | Ultra-small1 to 50 g or ml | Small51 to 250 g or ml | Bigabove 250 g or ml |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary packRule 19(1)(iii), (iv) | 14 items (listed below), in indelible ink | 14 items (listed below), in indelible ink | The full label, items (a) to (w) |
| Secondary packRule 19(1)(iii) | Required, with the full label. Several primary packs may share one if each has its leaflet and QR code attached. | Required, with the full label | Optional |
| Smallest font, primary packRule 19(1)(ii) | English 5 · Hindi 6 | English 5 · Hindi 6 | English 7 · Hindi 7 |
| Smallest font, secondary packRule 19(1)(ii) | English 7 · Hindi 7 | English 7 · Hindi 7 | English 7 · Hindi 7 |
| “Read Leaflet Before Use”Rule 19(1)(i)(c) | English and Hindi | English and Hindi | English, Hindi and the regional languages where it is sold |
| Safety pictogramsRule 19(1)(i), Note II | 0.5 × 0.5 cm, on the primary or secondary pack | At least 1 sq cm, on the primary or secondary pack | At least 1 sq cm and bigger on bigger labels, at the bottom of the right-hand panel |
| Toxicity squareRule 19(3) | At least 2.25 sq cm (1.5 × 1.5 cm) | At least 1/16 of the panel or 4 sq cm, whichever is greater | At least 1/16 of the panel or 4 sq cm, whichever is greater |
| QR codeRule 19(1)(i)(w) | On the retail pack (primary or secondary) | On the retail pack (primary or secondary) | On the retail pack (primary or secondary) |
| LeafletRule 18(1)(u) · 19(1)(iii) | Attached to each primary pack | Secured to the primary pack, or between the primary and secondary pack | Secured to the primary pack, or between the primary and secondary pack |
The Rules print the big group as “250 gm or ml”; since small runs to 250, we read big as above 250. The font sizes are given as numbers without a unit.
Rule 19(1)(i)
The full label: 23 items, (a) to (w)
Also on every label:
- Rule 19(3) to (5)
- Rule 19(1)(i), Note II
- Rule 19(6)
- Rule 19(8)
- Rule 19(1)(ii), 19(2)
- Rule 19(1)(i), Note II
0 of 29 checked
Rule 19(1)(iv)
Big pack (above 250 g or ml): no separate primary-pack list. The full label above goes on the pack itself; a secondary pack is optional.
0 of 14 checked · the secondary pack carries the full label
Rule 19(3) to (5)
The toxicity square and its warnings
Class I: Extremely toxic
Skull and crossbones and “POISON” in red. Outside the square: “KEEP OUT OF THE REACH OF CHILDREN” and “IF SWALLOWED, OR IF SYMPTOMS OF POISONING OCCUR, CALL PHYSICIAN IMMEDIATELY”.
Class II: Highly toxic
“POISON” in red. Outside the square: “KEEP OUT OF THE REACH OF CHILDREN”.
Class III: Moderately toxic
“DANGER”. Outside the square: “KEEP OUT OF THE REACH OF CHILDREN”.
Class IV: Slightly toxic
“CAUTION”.
The colour band follows the product’s oral and skin LD50: see the toxicity table. The square is set at 45° and split into two triangles: the symbol and signal word on top, the colour below.
Rule 18
The leaflet: 21 items, (a) to (u)
0 of 21 checked · in Hindi, English and the regional languages where it is sold (Rule 19(7))
Before you print
8 mistakes that make a label fail the Rules
✗ Brand name printed bigger than the common name.
✓ Equal prominence since 23 March 2023, and the two together take no more than 20% of the panel face.
Rule 19(1)(i)(a)✗ Words like “safe”, “non-toxic” or “harmless”.
✓ Not allowed on the label, even with “when used as directed”.
Rule 19(8)✗ No QR code on the retail pack, or one that only opens a web page.
✓ The code itself must carry a unique identifier or GTIN, batch, manufacturing and expiry dates and a web link to the full label and leaflet.
Rule 19(1)(i)(w)✗ A toxicity square that is too small.
✓ At least 1/16 of the panel or 4 sq cm, whichever is greater; at least 1.5 × 1.5 cm on ultra-small packs.
Rule 19(3)✗ Font below the minimum.
✓ Primary pack: 7 (English) and 7 (Hindi) on big packs, 5 and 6 on small and ultra-small; secondary pack 7 and 7; leaflet at least 8 points or 2 mm.
Rule 19(1)(ii) · 18(1)(i)✗ A big pack with “Read Leaflet Before Use” only in English.
✓ English, Hindi and the regional languages of the area where it is sold.
Rule 19(1)(i)(c)✗ The leaflet missing from the pack, or in English only.
✓ Secured to the primary pack (or between primary and secondary), in Hindi, English and the regional language.
Rule 18 · 19(7)✗ Extra claims or graphics the Registration Committee has not approved.
✓ Print the label and leaflet approved with your certificate of registration, and nothing more.
Rule 19(1)(i), Note IIWhy it matters. An insecticide not packed or labelled as the Rules require is “misbranded” (Insecticides Act, section 3(k)). For a first offence the penalty is up to 2 years or a fine of ₹10,000 to ₹50,000, or both, for certain kinds of misbranding (section 29(1)),
and up to 1 year or ₹5,000 to ₹25,000 for other breaches (section 29(3)); misbranded stock can be confiscated (section 25). The Act made simple →
Want a second pair of eyes on your label?
Send us your draft label and leaflet on WhatsApp. We check them item by item against Rules 18 and 19, the way this page does, and reply with what is missing or out of size.
Send my label on WhatsApp →📞 70384 48078Making fertilisers or biostimulants?
Those labels follow the Fertiliser (Control) Order, not these Rules. Our FCO label generator makes a ready front and back label from the notified specification: Rs. 49 + GST a label.
Draft · not in force
Proposed changes: G.S.R. 453(E), 5 June 2026
Draft
Insecticides (Amendment) Rules, 2026: draft
Published in the Gazette on 9 June 2026 for objections within 30 days · not yet seen in final form- The common name placed below the brand name, the two of equal prominence, taking no more than 20% of the panel face.
- Small and ultra-small labels: safety pictograms move to the leaflet, and the label says “Please refer leaflet for safety pictograms”.
- Ultra-small packs: the label may be in English only, except the brand name, common name and antidote, which may be in Hindi and English.
- Six months to stop using old labels and leaflets, and thirty months to stop selling stock with them, from the date of the final rules.
2014 to 2025
How the label rules got here
- 13 Nov 2014G.S.R. 797(E)
Toxicity square: at least 1/16 of the panel or 4 sq cm, whichever is greater.
- 14 Oct 2019G.S.R. 782(E)
One, two or three panels; three pack-size groups; good application practice in the leaflet.
- 5 Jun 2020G.S.R. 355(E)
The primary-pack list for small and ultra-small packs; “Please refer leaflet for details” allowed for some items.
- 23 Mar 2023G.S.R. 211(E)
Brand and common name of equal prominence (was: brand at most 1.5 times the common name); QR code with GTIN, batch, dates and web link; ultra-small packs: 1.5 × 1.5 cm square and 0.5 × 0.5 cm pictograms; one secondary pack for several primary packs.
- 12 Jan 2024G.S.R. 37(E)
Nine months (was six) to stop using labels that do not meet the 2023 rules.
- 3 Jun 2025G.S.R. 367(E)
QR code on household insecticide retail packs, opening the full leaflet.
हिंदी में
कीटनाशक लेबल: मुख्य नियम संक्षेप में
- पैक का आकार लेबल तय करता है: अल्ट्रा-स्मॉल 1 से 50 ग्राम या मि.ली., स्मॉल 51 से 250, और बिग 250 से अधिक (नियम 19(1))।
- स्मॉल और अल्ट्रा-स्मॉल पैक: प्राइमरी पैक पर 14 बातें, और सेकेंडरी पैक पर पूरा लेबल। बिग पैक पर पूरा लेबल पैक पर ही।
- पूरे लेबल में 23 बातें, (a) से (w): ब्रांड नाम और कॉमन नाम बराबर प्रमुखता से, सबसे ऊपर “Read Leaflet Before Use”, उपयोग के निर्देश, खुराक, सावधानियाँ, विषाक्तता के लक्षण और प्राथमिक उपचार, एंटीडोट, पंजीकरण और लाइसेंस नंबर, बैच, निर्माण और समाप्ति तिथि, MRP और QR कोड।
- विषाक्तता वर्ग का रंग: लाल (अत्यंत विषैला), पीला (अत्यधिक विषैला), नीला (मध्यम विषैला), हरा (थोड़ा विषैला) (नियम 19(3) से (5))।
- लेबल पर “सुरक्षित”, “विषहीन” या “हानिरहित” जैसे शब्द नहीं लिखे जा सकते, “निर्देशानुसार उपयोग करने पर” जोड़कर भी नहीं (नियम 19(8))।
- QR कोड रिटेल पैक पर होना चाहिए, और स्कैन करने पर कंपनी की वेबसाइट पर पूरा लेबल और पत्रक खुलना चाहिए (नियम 19(1)(i)(w))।
- पत्रक (leaflet) में 21 बातें, हिंदी, अंग्रेज़ी और स्थानीय भाषा में, कम से कम 8 पॉइंट या 2 मि.मी. के अक्षरों में (नियम 18)।
- नियमों के अनुसार लेबल न होने पर उत्पाद “मिसब्रांडेड” माना जा सकता है (अधिनियम की धारा 3(k)), जिस पर सज़ा या जुर्माना और स्टॉक की ज़ब्ती हो सकती है (धारा 29, 25)।
Questions
Pesticide labels: short answers
What must be printed on a pesticide label in India?
Rule 19 of the Insecticides Rules, 1971 lists 23 items, (a) to (w): brand and common name, “Read Leaflet Before Use”, directions, dosage, purpose, re-entry period, safety precautions, composition, poisoning symptoms and first aid, antidote, the manufacturer, importer or re-packer and marketer, registration and licence numbers, batch, manufacturing and expiry dates, MRP, net content, cautions and customer care details with a QR code; plus the toxicity square and safety pictograms.
What are ultra-small, small and big pesticide packs?
By net content: ultra-small is 1 to 50 g or ml, small is 51 to 250 g or ml, and big is above 250 g or ml (Rule 19(1)(i)). Ultra-small and small packs carry 14 items on the primary pack and need a secondary pack with the full label; big packs carry the full label themselves.
What must the primary pack of a small pesticide sachet show?
Fourteen items, in indelible ink: common name, brand name, composition, manufacturer’s name and address, importer or re-packer (where applicable), antidote, registration number, manufacturing licence number, batch number, manufacturing date, expiry date, net content, MRP and customer care details (Rule 19(1)(iv)).
What is the minimum font size on a pesticide label?
On the primary pack: 7 in English and 7 in Hindi for big packs, and 5 in English and 6 in Hindi for small and ultra-small packs. On the secondary pack: 7 in both languages (Rule 19(1)(ii)). The leaflet must be in type of at least 8 points or 2 mm (Rule 18(1)(i)).
What must a pesticide QR code contain?
At least a unique identifier or GTIN, the batch number, the manufacturing date, the expiry date and a web link. Scanning it must open the company’s page with the full label and leaflet. A code that only opens a web page is not enough, even if the page shows these details: they must be in the code itself. It goes on the retail pack, primary or secondary (Rule 19(1)(i)(w), since 23 March 2023).
How big must the toxicity triangle be on a pesticide label?
The toxicity square, set at 45 degrees, must take at least one-sixteenth of the panel or 4 sq cm, whichever is greater; on ultra-small packs at least 2.25 sq cm (1.5 × 1.5 cm). Its upper triangle carries the signal word and its lower triangle the colour: red, yellow, blue or green (Rule 19(3) to (5)).
Can the brand name be bigger than the common name?
No. Since 23 March 2023 the brand name and common name must have equal prominence and together take no more than 20% of the panel face (Rule 19(1)(i)(a)). A draft of June 2026 (G.S.R. 453(E)) would also place the common name below the brand name.
What must a pesticide leaflet contain?
Rule 18 lists 21 items, (a) to (u), including directions, poisoning symptoms and first aid, the antidote, advice to doctors, good application practice for each crop (weather, crop stage, equipment, nozzle, dosage, re-entry period, pre-harvest interval, maximum number of sprays), protection of honey bees, and safe disposal of containers. It is printed in Hindi, English and the regional language.
How big must the toxicity square be on a 10 × 8 cm label?
A 10 × 8 cm panel is 80 sq cm; one-sixteenth of that is 5 sq cm, which is more than the 4 sq cm minimum, so the square must be at least 5 sq cm: a side of about 2.24 cm, or about 3.16 cm tip to tip when set at 45 degrees (Rule 19(3)). The label size calculator on this page works it out for any panel and prints a to-scale template.
How can I check the QR code on my pesticide pack?
Scan it, choose a photo of it or paste its content into the QR code checker on this page. It looks for the five things Rule 19(1)(i)(w) lists: a unique identifier or GTIN (with its check digit), the batch number, the manufacturing date, the expiry date and a web link, and reads GS1 codes such as (01), (10), (11) and (17). If a code fails, for example because it holds only a link, the tool makes one that passes, ready to print. Then open the link: it must show your page with the full label and leaflet.
What happens if a pesticide label breaks the Rules?
An insecticide not packed or labelled as the Rules require is “misbranded” under section 3(k) of the Insecticides Act. Depending on the kind of misbranding, the penalty for a first offence is up to 2 years or a fine of ₹10,000 to ₹50,000, or both (section 29(1)), or up to 1 year or ₹5,000 to ₹25,000 for other breaches (section 29(3)); stock can be confiscated (section 25).
Which colour is which on the toxicity triangle?
Red for Class I (extremely toxic, “POISON” with skull and crossbones), yellow for Class II (highly toxic, “POISON”), blue for Class III (moderately toxic, “DANGER”) and green for Class IV (slightly toxic, “CAUTION”). The class follows the product’s oral and skin LD50 (Rule 19(3) to (5)).
How we built this
Every line has its rule
From the Gazette textRules 18 and 19 of the Insecticides Rules, 1971, with each amendment from 2014 to 3 June 2025 read and listed above; the June 2026 draft kept apart.
Checked 24 October 2026Each item cites its sub-rule, so you can show your printer or regulatory team exactly where it comes from.
Part of a free toolkitLicence guide · Act and Rules · Banned list · Insecticides by crop · FCO biostimulants
A checklist written from Rules 18 and 19 of the Insecticides Rules, 1971, as amended to 3 June 2025; the label and leaflet approved with your certificate of registration are what you must print. The sample label is an illustration, not an approved label. NanoKheti is not a government body; the Rules and the Gazette notifications are authoritative, and this page is not legal advice.