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After the basic permits, a hardware store answers to DTI on two things: price tags, and the PS mark or ICC sticker on certified products like cement, steel bars, nails, wires and circuit breakers. If you also sell wood preservative or household pesticides like insect spray, ask the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority (FPA) if you need a license, even for a small store.[1,2,3,4]
Hardware store prep list
- Sort your opening stock into regular items, BPS-listed items and FPA-regulated items
- Check that every BPS-listed item has a PS mark or ICC sticker before shelving it
- Keep the original boxes of displayed breakers, wires and lamps
- Apply for the FPA license that matches what you will sell
- Make price labels for shelves and per-kilo signs for bins
- Set a reminder for the FPA renewal three years out
- Train staff to update tags when supplier prices change
Check your stock list for FPA items
FPA licenses dealers and retailers of fertilizer and pesticides. If you sell wood preservative or household pesticides, ask FPA which license fits and what it costs. FPA sets the fee.[2]
Go through your supplier catalog before opening. Anti-termite treatments, wood stains with preservative, and insecticide sprays are the products to flag.
Which products need a PS mark or ICC sticker?
DTI's Bureau of Philippine Standards (BPS) keeps a list of products under mandatory certification. Products on that list, made here or imported, must carry a Philippine Standard (PS) mark or an Import Commodity Clearance (ICC) sticker before they are sold in the Philippines.[3]
Much of a hardware store's stock is on the list. Under steel products it names deformed steel bars, steel wire nails, low carbon steel wires and GI steel pipes. Under lighting and wiring it names circuit breakers, fuses, plugs, outlets, extension cords, PVC electrical tape and thermoplastic insulated wires and cables. Under construction materials it names Portland cement, blended cement, plywood, and both loadbearing and nonloadbearing concrete masonry units. uPVC water pipes, conduit and ceramic tiles are also listed.[4]
For some items the mark goes on the box, not the product. BPS names circuit breakers, electrical tapes, wires and cables and several kinds of lamps. If you display one unit, keep its original box where a DTI monitor can see it. Monitors may also ask to check your stockroom, and not being able to show the box counts as a violation.[3]
DTI's Fair Trade Enforcement Bureau says its post-market surveillance covers the consumer products on that same BPS list.[5]
When you order from a supplier, ask which items carry a PS mark or ICC sticker and check the first delivery before it goes on the shelf. Rebar, nails and cement sold loose or by the piece are easy to mix up between batches, so keep each lot with its delivery receipt.
Price tags on thousands of small items
The Consumer Act requires price tags, labels or markings on consumer products sold at retail. If you sell basic necessities or prime commodities, the Price Act treats a missing price tag as prima facie evidence of profiteering.[1]
Hardware stores carry many loose items like nails, screws and wire sold by weight or length. A posted price per kilo or per meter near the bin is easier to keep current than tags on each piece.
Questions people ask
- What is the fine for missing price tags?
- DTI cites fines of ₱200 to ₱5,000 and/or 1 to 6 months imprisonment under the Consumer Act.
- Can I sell steel bars or cement without a PS mark?
- BPS says products on its mandatory certification list must bear the PS mark or ICC sticker before being distributed. Deformed steel bars and Portland cement are on that list.
- Do I need an FPA license if I sell only one brand of insect spray?
- Ask FPA. It licenses dealers and retailers of fertilizer and pesticides and sets the fee for each category.
- How long is an FPA license valid?
- FPA's dealer license is valid for 3 years. Ask FPA to confirm the term for your category.
Sources
Checked 13 November 2026. We link the agency's own page for every requirement. Rules change; confirm with the office before you pay.
- DTI warns business owners, establishments that price tag is a must · Department of Trade and Industry · 6 May 2022
- Citizen's Charter 2025 (External Services) · Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority · November 2025
- PS and ICC Marks - BPS S&C Portal · DTI Bureau of Philippine Standards
- List of Products Under Mandatory Certification - BPS S&C Portal · DTI Bureau of Philippine Standards
- What products are covered by DTI-FTEB Post Market Surveillance? · DTI Fair Trade Enforcement Bureau
The extra permits, in one table
| Permit or registration | Agency | When it applies | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price tags on all consumer products sold at retail[1] | DTI | always | Not published |
| Price tag on basic necessities/prime commodities[1] | DTI | if selling basic necessities or prime commodities | Not published |
| FPA license if retailing wood preservative[2] | Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority | if retailing wood preservative | Set by FPA; ask FPA |
| FPA license if retailing household pesticides[2] | Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority | if retailing household pesticides | Set by FPA; ask FPA |
| Sell only covered products that bear the PS mark or ICC sticker (BPS mandatory product certification)[3] | DTI-BPS | if selling products on the BPS mandatory certification list, such as cement, steel bars, nails, wires, circuit breakers or lamps | not applicable |
| Keep the original box or package of displayed certified units and let DTI monitors check the stockroom[3] | DTI-BPS | if selling covered products whose mark is on the packaging, such as circuit breakers, electrical tapes, wires and cables, and lamps | not applicable |
| Check stock against the BPS list of products under mandatory certification (steel, wiring, pipes, cement and other construction materials)[4] | DTI-BPS | if stocking steel products, lighting and wiring devices, plastic pipes, ceramic products, cement, plywood or concrete masonry units | not applicable |