Massive 67 percent hike in gold hallmarking charges

According to a TV9 Gujarati report, the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has implemented a sharp increase in the hallmarking fee for gold jewellery. Under this decision, the hallmarking fee has been hiked by approximately 67 percent, which will now have a direct impact on customers and jewellers. The new fees have come into effect from September 14, 2026.

Previously, the hallmarking fee per gold jewellery item was ₹45, which has now been increased to ₹75. Thus, jewellers will now have to pay ₹30 more per gold jewellery item at the hallmarking centre. Additionally, the minimum fee per consignment for gold hallmarking has been set at ₹200. These changes will increase the cost of the gold jewellery manufacturing process.

On the other hand, new rates have also been set for Assaying and Hallmarking Centres (AHC). AHCs will now charge ₹7.50 per gold jewellery item, with a minimum fee of ₹20 per consignment. However, there has been no change in the hallmarking rates for silver jewellery. The hallmarking fee for silver remains at ₹35 per piece as before, and the minimum consignment fee has been kept at ₹150. In the case of silver, hallmarking centres will have to pay ₹3.50 per piece to the BIS, with a minimum consignment fee of ₹15.

Generally, jewellers recover this hallmarking cost from customers in the final bill. However, despite the 67 percent increase in the hallmarking fee, the total bill for customers will not increase by 67 percent, as it is only a part of the hallmarking charge. These gold hallmarking rules apply to all jewellery with purities of 9k, 14k, 18k, 20k, 22k, 23k, and 24k.

According to the HUID system that came into effect from July 1, 2021, it is mandatory for every hallmarked item to have the BIS logo, purity grade, and a 6-digit alphanumeric HUID number. The main objective of this system is to ensure the purity of gold and prevent fraud against customers.

The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is India's national standards body, operating under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution. The main function of this organization is to provide standardization, hallmarking, and quality certification of goods in India. It is through the BIS that hallmarking rules are framed and their compliance is ensured in the country. This organization has been responsible for setting quality standards in the interest of consumers for years.