Gold Hallmarking Charges Hiked from ₹45 to ₹75 by BIS Ahead of Festive Season

The Bureau of Indian Standards has raised the hallmarking fee for gold items from ₹45 to ₹75 per article, marking a 67% jump.

The revised charges came into effect on September 14 under the Bureau of Indian Standards (Hallmarking) Amendment Regulations, 2026.

While the cost per gold item has surged, BIS has kept the hallmarking charge for silver articles unchanged at ₹35 per item.

Key Changes in the Fee Structure

The revision alters the baseline costs paid by jewellers to registered Assaying and Hallmarking Centres across the country.

• Gold Jewellery Hikes: Jewellers will now pay ₹75 per gold article, up from ₹45 earlier.

• Minimum Batch Charge: The minimum fee per consignment for gold jewellery stands at ₹200. This means small batches containing just one or two items will incur the baseline ₹200 charge before applicable taxes.

• Silver Rates Maintained: The hallmarking fee for silver items remains at ₹35 per article, with a minimum consignment fee of ₹150.
• Defined Articles: The per-item charge applies individually to each piece of jewellery—such as a ring, chain, or bangle. For items like earrings, individual pieces are charged separately if hallmarked independently.

Impact on Jewellers

The fee increase is directly levied on jewellers when they submit batches to assaying centres for authentication and Hallmarking Unique Identification (HUID) tagging.

Retail buyers purchasing heavy or high-value gold ornaments are unlikely to notice a major difference, as the ₹30 increase per piece forms a negligible fraction of total bill values. 

However, the hike could slightly push up costs on lightweight, lower-ticket jewellery where fixed processing fees represent a higher percentage of the final price.

Jewellers may choose to absorb the minor difference or pass it along to customers in itemised billing.