Division 10 · Toys & games
Indian toys, made to EN 71 and ASTM F963, shipped as one programme.
India now sells more toys abroad than it buys. Since 2020 the domestic market has needed BIS-certified toys, and that pushed the serious factories to build the testing and paperwork that overseas buyers ask for too. We work with those factories, check every batch against your market's safety standard, and ship mixed toy ranges in one container.
Plastic · soft · wooden · games & puzzles
Categories
Delhi NCR · Mumbai · Koppal · Channapatna · Tamil Nadu
Clusters
EN 71 · ASTM F963 · ISO 8124 · CPSIA
Standards
20' / 40' HC · FOB, CFR, CIF
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Overview
What India actually exports, and why buyers now look here
All of these toys fall under HS heading 9503 (with board games under 9504), and that heading has grown fast. Government figures put India's 9503 exports at USD 109 million in FY 2018-19 and USD 177 million in FY 2021-22. By 2024, UN Comtrade data ranked India 26th among world exporters of toys, games and sports goods, up from 30th the year before.
Export shipments are a different mix from Indian retail. Most toys sold inside India are cheap plastic novelties. Most toys that leave India are made for a named buyer in the United States, the UK, the EU or the Gulf: own-brand soft toys, injection-moulded vehicles and building sets, wooden educational toys, and printed games and puzzles. Most are made to a buyer's drawing or golden sample, not taken from a catalogue.
The factories sit in a few places. Delhi NCR (Noida, Greater Noida, Sonipat, Bahadurgarh) and the Mumbai–Thane–Bhiwandi belt make most of the moulded plastic and electronic toys. Soft toys come mainly from Delhi NCR and Mumbai. Wooden toys come from Channapatna in Karnataka (GI-tagged lac-turned toys), Varanasi and Saharanpur, plus newer export plants in Karnataka and Rajasthan. Printed board games and puzzles draw on the offset printing trade around Sivakasi and Mumbai. The Koppal toy cluster in Karnataka and the Yamuna Expressway toy park near Greater Noida are newer, export-focused sites.
Compliance is where most toy deals succeed or fail. A toy for Europe needs EN 71-1, -2 and -3 testing, a technical file, a Declaration of Conformity and the CE mark. Since 2025 the new EU Toy Safety Regulation also requires a Digital Product Passport, being phased in over the next few years. The United States needs ASTM F963 testing, CPSIA lead and phthalate limits, a Children's Product Certificate and permanent tracking labels. The UK needs UKCA or CE marking under its Toys (Safety) Regulations. We plan these tests before production starts, through accredited labs such as Intertek, SGS, TÜV and Bureau Veritas.
As a merchant exporter, we don't own a toy factory. That lets us pick the right maker for each line: a plush specialist for soft toys, a moulding house with its own tool room for vehicles, a Channapatna workshop for lac-turned wooden toys. We then bring the goods together under one purchase order, one inspection plan and one set of shipping documents.
At a glance
- Product families
- Plastic, mechanical and battery toys; plush and stuffed toys; wooden, Montessori and STEM toys; board games, card games and jigsaw puzzles
- Minimum order
- 500–1,000 pcs per design for moulded and plush toys; 300–500 for wooden toys; 1,000 sets for printed games and puzzles
- Testing
- EN 71-1/2/3, ASTM F963, CPSIA, ISO 8124, REACH and phthalates, through ILAC-accredited labs
- Lead time
- 45–60 days on approved designs; 75–100 days where new moulds or tooling are cut
- Inspection
- Pre-production sample, in-line check, and AQL 2.5 / 4.0 pre-shipment inspection on every SKU
- Payment
- 30% advance with balance against documents, or irrevocable LC at sight
How we work
We source from India's established brands — we do not manufacture
Akarta Exports is a sourcing and export house. We do not own factories and we do not claim to. Our value is that we know which well-known Indian brands and manufacturers make what, to what standard, and at what price — and we buy from them to the exact specification you give us.
01 — Your specification, written down
We start from your specification, not from a catalogue. Grade, dimension, tolerance, finish, test standard, pack, artwork and labelling are put in writing and confirmed with you before a single enquiry goes out.
02 — Matched to the right Indian brand
We place that specification with established, well-known Indian brands and manufacturers in the cluster that genuinely makes the product — Morbi for tiles, Rajkot and Ludhiana for machinery, Meerut and Jalandhar for sports goods, Kerala and Gujarat for spices.
03 — Offers compared on merit
Because we own no plant and owe no factory a minimum offtake, we compare offers openly on quality, consistency, capacity and price — and tell you where a lower price will not hold up in your market.
04 — Inspected, consolidated, shipped
Our own inspectors clear the goods at the brand's plant and again before loading. Multiple brands and multiple divisions consolidate into one container, one invoice and one document set.
Brand names are disclosed to you on the offer and named on the inspection report, so you always know whose production you are buying. Where a buyer already has a preferred Indian brand, we are happy to source that brand and handle only the inspection, consolidation, documentation and shipping.
Are you an Indian manufacturer or brand owner in this sector? Register your plant with our export desk.
The range
Four toy categories, each with its own page
These are the categories India actually exports in volume. Each page has the full item list, materials, test standards and container figures.
- Plastic & mechanical toys
- Friction and pull-back vehicles, construction and building-block sets, ride-ons and push-alongs, pretend-play kitchens and tool sets, bath and sand toys, battery-operated and STEM kits, and outdoor play items. See the plastic toys page.
- Plush & soft toys
- Teddy bears, plush animals and characters, baby comforters and security blankets, activity and sensory toys, organic cotton toys, promotional and licensed plush. See the soft toys page.
- Wooden & educational toys
- Montessori and Waldorf materials, shape sorters and stacking toys, peg and chunky puzzles, Channapatna lac-turned toys, wooden vehicles, pull-alongs, dolls' houses, abacus and early-learning sets. See the wooden toys page.
- Board games & puzzles
- Custom board games and family games, card games, educational and quiz games, jigsaw puzzles from 24 to 2,000 pieces, floor puzzles and traditional games such as ludo, snakes and ladders, chess and carrom. See the games and puzzles page.
Technical data
Order economics by toy category
Typical figures we use when quoting. Exact carton count, volume and loading are confirmed on the packing list.
Swipe table to see all columns →
| Category | MOQ per design | Main test standards | Units per 40' HC (indicative) | Lead time | Branding |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plastic & mechanical | 1,000 pcs | EN 71-1/2/3, ASTM F963, IEC 62115 (electric) | 8,000–40,000 | 45–90 days | Mould inserts, pad print, retail box |
| Plush & soft toys | 500–1,000 pcs | EN 71-1/2/3, ASTM F963, CPSIA | 15,000–40,000 (compressed) | 45–60 days | Woven / embroidered labels, hang tags |
| Wooden & educational | 300–500 pcs | EN 71-1/2/3, ASTM F963, FSC chain of custody | 6,000–20,000 | 50–75 days | Laser engraving, printed box |
| Board games & puzzles | 1,000 sets | EN 71-1/2/3, ASTM F963, FSC paper | 6,000–15,000 sets | 35–50 days | Full custom print and artwork |
Units per container vary heavily with toy size and packaging; figures assume retail-boxed goods in export master cartons.
Customs classification
HS codes for this range
Harmonized System codes most commonly used when clearing these goods. The final 8-digit tariff line is confirmed on your commercial invoice according to the destination country's tariff schedule.
| HS code | Classification |
|---|---|
| 9503.00 | Wheeled toys, dolls, other toys, scale models and puzzles of all kinds |
| 9504.90 | Board games, table games and other parlour games |
| 9504.40 | Playing cards |
Applications & markets
Who we supply
Toy brands & private label
- Own-brand production from your drawings or samples
- Mould and tooling management
- Golden sample sign-off before bulk
- Test reports issued in your company's name
Retail chains & importers
- Mixed-category containers
- Seasonal programmes for Christmas and back-to-school
- Retail-ready packaging and barcodes
- Destination-compliant labelling
Schools & educational distributors
- Montessori and early-learning ranges
- Durable classroom-grade materials
- Tender documentation
- Teacher guides and instruction leaflets
E-commerce sellers
- FNSKU, UPC and EAN labelling at the factory
- Parcel-safe retail boxes
- Low-MOQ launch runs
- Marketplace-ready compliance files (CPC, DoC)
Division in numbers
4
Toy categories
Plastic, soft, wooden, games & puzzles
9503
Main HS heading
Toys, scale models and puzzles
26th
India's global rank
Chapter 95 exports, 2024 (UN Comtrade)
AQL 2.5
Pre-shipment sampling
On every SKU
Quality assurance
Nothing leaves India until our own inspectors clear it
Akarta runs an in-house quality department with inspectors assigned to each division. Goods are checked at the factory during production and again before loading, against the written specification agreed on your purchase order — not against the factory's own grading.
- Test report from an ILAC-accredited lab checked against the SKU, batch and destination standard
- Small-parts cylinder, sharp-edge and sharp-point checks on every SKU for under-36-month ranges
- Seam strength, eye and nose pull tests on soft toys; drop and torque tests on plastic toys
- Warning labels, age grading, CE / UKCA marks and tracking codes checked on product and carton
ISO 9001:2015
Certified quality management system
Govt. approved
Registered Indian merchant exporter
In-house docs
Export paperwork prepared by our team
Packing & shipping
Packed the way your market receives it
A toy has to arrive looking like it does on the shelf. Crushed boxes, flattened plush and scuffed print are claims waiting to happen, so we agree packing at the quotation stage.
- Retail boxes, blister cards or window boxes printed to your artwork with barcodes and warnings
- Plush vacuum-compressed where agreed, with poly bags carrying suffocation warnings in the destination language
- Wooden toys shrink-wrapped with silica gel against humidity on long sea routes
- Puzzles and games shrink-wrapped after piece-count checks
- Five-ply export master cartons with drop-test approved inner packing
- Shipping marks, carton-wise packing list and loading plan issued before dispatch
Documentation
Paperwork prepared in-house, not outsourced
Every consignment travels with a complete document set, prepared by our own documentation team and checked against your letter of credit or contract terms before dispatch.
Test & compliance file
EN 71, ASTM F963, CPSIA or ISO 8124 reports from an accredited lab, matched to the SKU and production batch.
Conformity documents
EU Declaration of Conformity and technical file support, US Children's Product Certificate data, UKCA declaration where applicable.
Inspection report
Pre-shipment AQL report with measured results, defect list and photos for each SKU.
Shipping set
Commercial invoice with HS code, packing list, certificate of origin, bill of lading and insurance certificate where CIF.
Global reach
Quoted in your currency, shipped from your nearest Indian port
Enquiries reach us from importers, distributors, contractors and retail chains across five continents — Africa, the Middle East, Europe, the Americas and Asia-Pacific. We quote FOB, CFR or CIF, load from Mundra, Kandla, Nhava Sheva or Pipavav depending on your routing, and keep one commercial contact accountable for the consignment from purchase order to bill of lading.
Africa
Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire, Senegal, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Sudan, Mozambique, Zambia, South Africa
Middle East
UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan, Iraq
Europe
Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Italy, Poland, United Kingdom
Americas
United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Chile
Asia-Pacific
Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, South Korea, Japan
Load ports
Mundra · Kandla · Pipavav · Nhava Sheva
Incoterms
FOB · CFR · CIF · EXW on request
Correspondence
English, with documentation to buyer-country requirements
Buyer questions
What importers usually ask us first
Are Indian toys tested to EN 71 and ASTM F963?
The factories we work with test to the standard of your market, through ILAC-accredited labs such as Intertek, SGS, TÜV or Bureau Veritas. We share the test plan before production and the reports before shipment, and each report is matched to the actual SKU and batch being shipped.
Can we mix soft toys, wooden toys and games in one container?
Yes. Most of our toy buyers do. We collect goods from each specialist factory, inspect them separately, and load them together with one packing list and one set of export documents.
Do you make toys to our own design?
Yes, most toy exports from India are made to the buyer's design. Send drawings, a reference sample or artwork; we return physical samples for approval, and the signed golden sample becomes the reference for bulk production and every repeat order.
What about the new EU Toy Safety Regulation?
The regulation replaces the 2009 Toy Safety Directive, with a transition period of several years. It bans more chemicals in toys and adds a Digital Product Passport. We plan new programmes with these rules in mind and tell you which tests and documents your range will need.
Which port do you ship toys from?
Nhava Sheva (JNPT) and Mundra for most toy shipments, with Chennai and Bengaluru ICD options for South Indian factories. We quote FOB, CFR and CIF, or work with your nominated forwarder.
Common enquiries
Specifications buyers most often ask us to quote
These are the enquiries that reach this desk most weeks. If yours is on the list, we already have the grades, packing and loadability worked out — send the quantity and destination port and we will price it.
Also in this division
Related ranges
Export desk
Request a quotation
Send your product type, grade, quantity and destination port. Our export desk replies with available grades, packing options, loadability and indicative pricing — usually within one working day.