Many manufacturers focus their attention on safety testing when preparing for BIS certification, treating Part 2 performance testing as secondary or straightforward. This is a mistake that leads to expensive surprises.
Performance testing is where the most common commercial failures occur. A lamp that declares 800 lumens but delivers 680 lumens fails. A lamp that claims CRI 80 but measures CRI 73 fails. A lamp with a power factor of 0.86 when 0.90 is required fails. These are not theoretical risks — they are the most frequently observed failure reasons in LED lamp testing in India.
IS 16102 (Part 2): 2026 replaces IS 16102 (Part 2): 2017 and introduces more stringent test methods, updated performance thresholds, and new testing requirements. The deadline is the same as Part 1: August 2, 2026.
---Part 2 covers the performance characteristics that determine whether a lamp delivers the quality of light it promises. These are the parameters printed on every lamp box — wattage, lumens, CCT, CRI, lifetime — and the standard ensures that these declared values are real and reproducible.
The total amount of light emitted by the lamp, measured in lumens. The 2026 standard maintains the ±10% tolerance: if you declare 800lm, the lamp must measure between 720lm and 880lm.
This sounds generous, but real-world production variation and measurement at stabilised conditions (after the lamp has been burning for the specified stabilisation period) means lamps that test close to the lower tolerance limit in controlled conditions may fall below it in production-level testing.
The efficiency of the lamp expressed as lumens produced per watt consumed (lm/W). The 2026 standard strengthens minimum efficacy requirements — higher than those in the 2017 version. Exact minimum thresholds are wattage-band dependent:
Lamps that were marginal under the 2017 requirements may no longer meet the 2026 thresholds. Pre-compliance measurement of your lamps against the 2026 efficacy requirements is strongly recommended before formal testing.
The measured CCT must fall within the chromaticity tolerance zones defined by the standard on the CIE 1931 chromaticity diagram. The 2026 standard uses updated MacAdam-ellipse-based tolerance zones that are more precisely defined than in the 2017 version.
Standard nominal CCT values for LED lamps in India and their approximate chromaticity coordinates:
A lamp labelled 4000K must measure within the 4000K tolerance zone. A lamp measuring 4600K when labelled 4000K fails this requirement.
CRI quantifies how accurately the lamp renders colours compared to a reference illuminant. The scale runs from 0 to 100, with 100 representing perfect colour rendering.
IS 16102 (Part 2): 2026 requires a minimum CRI (Ra) of 80 for general lighting LED lamps. This is non-negotiable. A lamp measuring Ra 78 fails regardless of all other parameters.
Additionally, the standard addresses R9 — the special rendering index for saturated red. While the minimum Ra requirement covers the average across eight test colours, R9 is specifically measured because red rendering is particularly important for applications like food retail, hospitality, and skin tones in residential lighting. Products claiming "high CRI" or Ra 90+ are tested against their declared CRI value.
Power factor measures how effectively the lamp draws power from the supply without creating reactive power. LED lamp drivers that have poor power factor draw more current from the supply than their wattage would suggest, creating inefficiency in the electrical distribution system.
IS 16102 (Part 2): 2026 requires a minimum power factor of 0.9 for lamps with rated input power above 5W. For lamps of 5W and below, no minimum power factor is specified.
Many low-cost LED drivers — particularly those using simple capacitor-dropper designs without active power factor correction — achieve power factors of only 0.5–0.7. These fail the BIS requirement. Power factor correction circuits add cost to the driver design, which is why some manufacturers try to avoid them. With IS 16102 (Part 2): 2026, there is no legitimate path to BIS certification without meeting the 0.9 minimum for lamps above 5W.
THD measures the distortion of the AC supply current caused by the lamp's driver. LED drivers with high THD create interference on the electricity supply that affects other equipment connected to the same circuit. The standard specifies maximum THD limits.
Flicker — the rapid variation in light output caused by the interaction of the LED driver with the AC supply — is a health concern with well-documented effects: eyestrain, headaches, and in extreme cases, neurological effects in people with photosensitive conditions.
The 2026 standard updates flicker measurement methodology. Two metrics are specified:
Percent Flicker: The ratio of the variation in light output to the average light output, expressed as a percentage. Higher percent flicker indicates more visible variation. Flicker Index: A more sophisticated measure that accounts for the shape of the flicker waveform, not just its amplitude.LED drivers with poor ripple current suppression — common in low-cost designs — produce high flicker. The 2026 standard's updated methodology captures these products more effectively than the 2017 version.
L70 is the point at which the lamp's light output has fallen to 70% of its initial value. A lamp rated for 15,000 hours at L70 means it maintains at least 70% of its initial output at 15,000 hours of operation.
Lumen maintenance testing uses accelerated test methods — TM-21 projection or equivalent — rather than burning lamps to their full rated life. However, the standard specifies minimum hours of actual testing (LM-80 data) that must underpin any projection.
The 2026 version introduces more stringent and detailed test methods for lumen maintenance measurement, ensuring the projection methodology is applied consistently and conservatively.
LED lamps with integrated rechargeable batteries must now demonstrate performance requirements in battery mode as well as mains mode. This includes battery discharge runtime, lumen output in battery mode, and lumen maintenance in battery mode.
---Part 1 (safety) and Part 2 (performance) are tested on the same physical product samples but assess entirely different characteristics. The test reports from both parts together form the complete test evidence for BIS CRS registration.
A common and costly mistake: submitting Part 1 safety testing while Part 2 performance testing is still in progress, then finding that Part 2 fails — requiring redesign that changes the lamp construction, which potentially invalidates the Part 1 safety test report.
The most efficient approach is to run both parts concurrently on the same sample set, using a laboratory that has scope for both — which is exactly what House of Testing provides.
---Part 1 (safety) failures often involve construction issues — incorrect creepage distances, insufficient insulation, cap attachment problems — that are relatively straightforward engineering fixes at the component or design level.
Part 2 (performance) failures are harder because they often reveal fundamental issues with the core product design:
All of these fixes require new samples, which means retesting — both Part 1 and Part 2. The time and cost of a Part 2 failure caught at formal BIS testing, rather than in pre-compliance testing, can easily double the overall certification timeline and cost.
---House of Testing strongly recommends a pre-compliance performance measurement before submitting samples for formal BIS testing. A one-day measurement of luminous flux, CCT, CRI, power factor, and flicker against the 2026 requirements reveals any issues while there is still time to resolve them.
The cost of a pre-compliance check is a fraction of the cost of a failed formal test, redesign, and re-test cycle.
---Note: Part 1 and Part 2 testing run concurrently when done at the same laboratory, so the combined timeline is not the sum of both individual timelines.
---The 2026 standard maintains a ±10% tolerance on luminous flux. For a declared value of 800lm:
At 750lm, your lamp is within the tolerance range and passes this requirement. At 715lm, it fails.
However, important nuance: the measurement must be taken under stabilised conditions — after the lamp has been burning for the specified warm-up period (typically 30 minutes for most LED lamps). Fresh-switched-on measurements are not used. If your lamp produces 750lm when stabilised in a temperature-controlled laboratory but only 700lm in a higher ambient temperature environment, you may have a thermal management issue that will eventually cause problems — even if you pass the formal test.
The standard specifies minimum efficacy thresholds in lm/W by wattage band. The 2026 thresholds are higher than the 2017 version. While the exact values are specified in the standard document itself (which you should obtain from BIS), as a general guidance:
A 9W lamp producing 720lm (80 lm/W) would meet the threshold. A 9W lamp producing 630lm (70 lm/W) would not.
Contact our engineers for a pre-compliance efficacy measurement of your specific products against the 2026 thresholds.
Yes, almost certainly. The LED chip (including its phosphor coating) determines three of the most critical performance parameters: luminous flux, CCT, and CRI. Changing the LED chip supplier, chip specification, or phosphor formulation is a material change to the product that can affect all three parameters.
If you change the LED chip after certification:
The correct process is: source the chip, measure its performance, confirm it meets your declared values, then inform BIS of the component change and obtain updated certification if required.
CRI (Ra) is the general colour rendering index — the arithmetic average of the special colour rendering indices R1 through R8, which represent eight standard test colours (pastel shades). Ra 80 means the lamp renders these eight colours to at least 80% accuracy compared to a reference source.
R9 is the special rendering index for saturated red. It is not included in the Ra calculation, but is increasingly measured and reported separately because red rendering is critical in many applications — skin tones in residential and hospitality lighting, meat and produce displays in food retail, and medical examination lighting.
IS 16102 (Part 2): 2026 specifies the minimum Ra (80). The standard may measure R9 as an informative parameter, but the pass/fail threshold is on Ra.
However, even if not required for pass/fail, many sophisticated buyers — particularly in hospitality, retail, and healthcare — specify minimum R9 values as a purchase requirement. A lamp with Ra 83 but R9 of -10 (common in cheap LEDs with poor red phosphor) will render reds as brown or grey. Request R9 measurement as part of your testing even if it is not a formal pass/fail parameter.
It depends on whether 4200K falls within the chromaticity tolerance zone for 4000K.
CCT tolerance is not a simple numerical range (e.g., ±200K). It is defined by a tolerance zone on the CIE 1931 chromaticity diagram — the MacAdam ellipse or equivalent zone around the target chromaticity point. The shape of this zone means that some deviations from the nominal CCT are acceptable and some are not, in ways that are not linearly related to the CCT number alone.
As a rough guide: a deviation of ±200K for a 4000K lamp would typically fall within the tolerance zone. A deviation of ±500K would typically not. But the exact answer requires measuring the chromaticity coordinates (x, y) and checking them against the tolerance zone boundaries for 4000K.
If you are producing lamps at 4200K and concerned about BIS compliance, the pre-compliance measurement at House of Testing will give you a definitive answer before formal testing.
Yes. Different CCTs are different product models — each must be registered separately with BIS, because the LED chip (and specifically the phosphor) is different for each CCT version. Each has different photometric properties that must be individually verified.
However, the Part 1 (safety) testing can often be shared between CCT variants if they use the same driver, the same lamp body construction, and the only difference is the LED chip. The safety test results are not affected by CCT. You test the safety parameters once for the design, and reference those results for both CCT versions.
Part 2 (performance) testing must be done separately for each CCT variant — flux, CCT, CRI, and efficacy are all CCT-specific.
This approach reduces your total testing cost compared to full dual-standard testing for each variant. Discuss your product range with our engineers to structure the most efficient test submission.
Flicker is the rapid periodic variation in light output caused by the interaction of the LED driver with the 50Hz AC supply. The key word is "rapid" — flicker can occur at frequencies too fast for most people to consciously perceive as flickering, yet still cause physiological effects.
There are two types relevant to LED lamps:
Visible flicker (below approximately 80Hz): Can be directly perceived by the eye as instability. Unacceptable in any application. Invisible flicker (above approximately 80Hz, up to 2000Hz and beyond): Not directly perceived by most people, but linked to eyestrain, headaches, and neurological effects in photosensitive individuals. Also causes stroboscopic effects on moving machinery — a safety hazard in industrial environments.LED drivers with capacitor-dropper designs (common in cheap lamps) produce significant 100Hz flicker (double the AC frequency). Active-PFC drivers with good output filtering produce much lower flicker.
Your lamps may appear not to flicker visually, but this does not mean their flicker index is within the IS 16102 (Part 2): 2026 limits. Only measurement with a calibrated flicker meter can confirm compliance. If your driver uses a simple non-PFC design, there is a meaningful risk of flicker non-compliance.
No. Any new models added to your licence scope after August 2, 2026 must be tested under IS 16102 (Part 2): 2026. There is no path to adding new models under the old 2017 standard after that date.
If you are planning to add new models to your licence, do the testing now — under the 2026 standard — so the new models are already under the correct standard from the start.
For new models added before August 2, 2026: you can still test under the 2017 standard, but you must provide a declaration committing to transition to the 2026 standard by August 2. This adds administrative overhead. It is simply more efficient to test under the 2026 standard now.
Lumen maintenance for LED products is assessed using a combination of actual testing and projection methods, rather than testing to full rated life.
The standard reference methodology is LM-80 (or the equivalent Indian Standard process) — a test protocol where LED packages, modules, or boards are operated continuously in controlled temperature conditions while lumen output is measured at regular intervals. The test runs for a minimum of 6,000 hours.
The resulting data is then used in the TM-21 projection methodology to extrapolate the lamp's expected lumen maintenance at its full rated life — typically 15,000, 25,000, or 50,000 hours.
For BIS certification, the lamp manufacturer must provide LM-80 test data (usually from the LED chip supplier) and demonstrate that the TM-21 projection to the lamp's rated life is consistent with the declared L70 value.
If your LED chip supplier does not provide LM-80 data, you cannot accurately declare a lumen maintenance rating — and BIS may not accept a declaration without supporting data. Using LED chips from established suppliers who publish LM-80 data is strongly recommended.
IEC 62612 is indeed the international standard on which IS 16102 (Part 2) is based. The technical requirements are substantially similar. However:
The practical outcome: your international IEC 62612 data is useful as a strong indicator that your products will pass — it is not a substitute for testing at a BIS-recognized laboratory.
If your existing IEC 62612 data is recent (within 12 months) and from a laboratory that also holds BIS recognition, discuss with our team whether any part of the test data can be leveraged to reduce testing scope or cost under IS 16102 (Part 2): 2026.
---House of Testing's scope approval for IS 16102 (Part 2): 2026 is expected within 6–8 days. Register your LED lamps now — pre-compliance performance measurement is available immediately, and formal BIS testing commences the day scope is confirmed.
Contact our LED testing team. State your lamp models, wattages, and CCTs, and we will prepare a specific testing plan for your product range.