FMTTI Commercial Test vs Confidential Test Explained
When you apply for testing at an FMTTI institute, one of the first things you'll be asked is which test category you need: Commercial Test or Confidential Test. They use the same institutes, the same engineers, and largely the same procedures — but they exist for different situations, and picking the wrong one can cost you time and money.
Commercial Test — the standard route
A Commercial Test is what most manufacturers apply for. It's designed to establish the performance characteristics of a machine that is already in commercial production, or is ready to go into commercial production. If your machine is finished, you're selling it (or about to), and you need a report for scheme eligibility, a tender, or simply to back your marketing claims — this is the test you want.
Results from a Commercial Test aren't secret. The Final Test Report (FTR) becomes part of the standard record, and this is the type of report that typically supports things like subsidy scheme eligibility or tender documentation.
Confidential Test — for pre-launch prototypes
A Confidential Test exists for a different situation: you have a prototype, it isn't ready for public disclosure, and you want performance data before you commit to a public launch. The test procedure itself doesn't change — the same institute, the same engineers, the same kind of evaluation — but the results are kept confidential rather than entering the normal public record.
Because of the extra handling this requires, a Confidential Test is priced 10% higher than the equivalent Commercial Test for the same machine category.
Same process, different label
Both test types go through the same basic workflow once you're in the system:
- Register and submit your application on the Agri-Machinery Portal
- The application goes through admin and sub-admin scrutiny, with any discrepancies sent back for correction
- Once approved, you pay the fee and upload the receipt
- A test officer and test period are allocated (by random sampling)
- You send the equipment for testing
- A Test Engineer runs the test, uploads intermediate results, and prepares a Draft Test Report
- You get a chance to comment on the draft
- The engineer reviews comments and prepares the Final Test Report
- Once approved, the FTR is released to you You'll get SMS and email alerts at every stage regardless of which category you've applied under. The difference is purely in what happens to the report at the end — public/standard record for Commercial, restricted for Confidential — and in the fee.
What you'll need either way
Regardless of category, expect to submit:
- Detailed technical drawings and specifications
- A full operational/instruction manual
- A parts catalogue
- Photographs of the machine
On fees
Government testing charges are set per machine category and cover a wide range — from tens of thousands of rupees for simple hand tools and components, up to several lakh for self-propelled machines like transplanters or ride-on tool bars. These published rates are exclusive of GST, and they're revised periodically. Whatever the base rate is for your machine category under a Commercial Test, add 10% on top if you're applying for a Confidential Test instead.
Which one should you choose?
If your machine is finished and you're marketing it (or about to), go Commercial. If you're still at the prototype stage and need performance data without tipping your hand before launch, Confidential is the category to request — just budget for the 10% premium and be clear with the institute up front about which category you're applying under, since it affects how your report is filed and shared.
This is exactly the kind of decision AgPro helps manufacturers get right before an application goes in — confirming the correct test category, preparing the documentation, and liaising with the institute throughout. The testing itself, in both cases, is carried out entirely by FMTTI's own engineers at the government institute.