Safety & PPE
Reflective safety jacket: HSN code, GST rate, and IS 15809 for bulk buyers
A procurement team asking for a reflective jacket quotation usually gets a price and a colour. What the purchase order actually needs is a standard number, an HSN code, and a GST rate that doesn’t change halfway through a large order because someone billed it wrong.
This is for safety officers and procurement teams buying reflective and high-visibility jackets in bulk for logistics, construction, road, and facility teams.
The standard is IS 15809, not a generic “reflective” claim
High-visibility warning clothing in India is specified under IS 15809: 2017, issued by the Bureau of Indian Standards. It covers jackets, vests, and coveralls meant to make the wearer visible in daylight, low light, and darkness, and it is the standard road, rail, airport, mining, and industrial sites actually ask for.
The standard requires:
- Continuous retroreflective tape arranged for 360° visibility around the torso, not a strip on the front only.
- Minimum fluorescent background area, tested for colour and luminance, not just “looks bright.”
- Retention of reflectivity after washing, tested to a stated number of wash cycles.
- Classes (the standard sets classes by area of high-visibility material) — a Class 2 or Class 3 jacket carries more coverage than a Class 1 vest, and the class should be named on the product, not left to the buyer to infer from the picture.
Ask any reflective jacket supplier to state the class and cite IS 15809 on the quotation. A jacket that is merely fluorescent-coloured, with no retroreflective tape tested to this standard, is not the same product and will not pass a site safety audit.
What the high-visibility material actually is
“Hi-vis material” is two different materials doing two different jobs, and a buyer should ask about both separately:
- The fluorescent base fabric — usually a poly-cotton or polyester with a fluorescent dye (orange or yellow-green), which is what makes the wearer stand out in daylight. This is the bulk of the garment.
- The retroreflective tape — a separate strip, typically glass-bead or micro-prismatic tape sewn on in bands, which is what makes the wearer visible when a vehicle’s headlights hit it at night. This is the part IS 15809 tests for wash-cycle retention, because the tape’s reflectivity degrades with laundering long before the base fabric wears out.
A jacket can have bright fluorescent fabric and poor-quality tape that stops reflecting after a dozen washes, and still be sold as “hi-vis.” Ask what the tape is rated for, not just what the fabric colour is.
HSN code: 62104030
Reflective and high-visibility warning clothing has its own dedicated subheading in the Indian customs tariff: HSN 62104030 — “High visibility warning clothes and the like (conforming to IS 15809).” This sits under Chapter 62 (apparel, not knitted or crocheted), heading 6210, which covers garments made from treated, coated, or laminated fabric.
The fact that this HSN code names IS 15809 directly is useful for a buyer: it means the classification and the safety standard are tied together in the tariff itself, not just in marketing copy. If a supplier’s invoice shows a different heading under 6210 (bullet-proof or bomb-disposal jackets sit under 62104010, for instance), that is worth querying.
GST rate: it depends on price per piece, not the product
This is the part buyers get wrong most often, and it changed in 2025. GST on finished apparel in India, including HSN 6210, is value-based, not product-based. Since the GST rate revision effective 22 September 2025, the slab is:
| Invoiced value per piece | GST rate |
|---|---|
| Up to Rs. 2,500 | 5% |
| Above Rs. 2,500 | 18% |
This replaced the earlier slab (Rs. 1,000 threshold, 12% above it), so a quotation or supplier contract written before September 2025 is citing the old rule. A reflective jacket does not have one fixed GST rate. It has a rate that depends on what you are actually billed per unit. A bulk order priced at Rs. 850 per jacket and a premium Class 3 jacket priced at Rs. 2,800 per jacket carry different GST rates on the same HSN code, on the same invoice format, because the slab is set on price, not on the garment. Check this on the quotation before the order is placed, not after the invoice arrives — a supplier pricing near the Rs. 2,500 line should tell you which side of it your order falls on.
What to put on the purchase order
- HSN code (62104030) stated on the quotation and the invoice.
- IS 15809 reference and the visibility class (1, 2, or 3).
- Per-piece price, because that price decides the GST slab.
- Retroreflective tape width and placement, confirmed against the class claimed.
- Wash-cycle rating if the jacket will see industrial laundering rather than disposal after a season.
Where this fits with the rest of your PPE order
Reflective jackets are usually one line in a bigger issue: helmets to IS 2925, footwear, and high-visibility clothing together. If you are buying the whole kit rather than one item, it is worth pricing it as one purchase order across the PPE list rather than negotiating each item separately — the certificate file you need for audit is the same file either way, and one supplier holding it is simpler than five.
How we supply reflective jackets in bulk
We supply IS 15809-compliant reflective jackets and high-visibility clothing to logistics, construction, facility, and industrial teams across India, from 50 pieces per order.
- Class and standard confirmed on the quotation before the order.
- Sample approved before bulk release.
- Per-piece pricing stated in writing, so the GST slab is clear before you commit.
- HSN code and standard reference on every invoice.
- Reorders against the same specification, so a second batch matches the first.
If you’re sizing a reflective jacket order, the form below reaches our sales team. Quotes go out within 24 hours, from 50 pieces per order.