Gold hallmarking charge raised from ₹45 to ₹75 per article as the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) revised its hallmarking fee structure ahead of the festive season.
The new rates came into effect after the BIS (Hallmarking) Amendment Regulations, 2026, were notified on September 14.
The 67% increase applies to gold jewellery and other gold articles submitted for hallmarking.
Jewellers will now have to pay ₹75 per article to recognised Assaying and Hallmarking Centres, compared with the earlier fee of ₹45.
Gold Hallmarking Charge Raised Under New BIS Rules
The revised fee is subject to a minimum charge of ₹200 per consignment.
This means the total hallmarking bill for a consignment will not fall below ₹200, even if the calculation based on individual articles is lower.
The revised fee is a charge payable by jewellers to hallmarking centres.
The government notification does not provide for the ₹75 amount to be directly collected from customers as a separate hallmarking charge.
However, jewellers may decide how to absorb the additional cost.
They can bear the increase themselves or factor the additional expense into making charges and the overall pricing of jewellery.
What Changes for Gold Buyers
For customers planning to purchase gold jewellery during the festive season, the revision does not automatically mean an additional ₹30 hallmarking charge on every item.
The hallmarking fee is paid by jewellers to the recognised centres.
The final price of jewellery can include several components, including the value of gold, making charges, taxes and other applicable costs.
Buyers should therefore check the complete price breakup before making a purchase.
Hallmarking is used to indicate the purity of precious-metal jewellery and articles.
Gold jewellery carries the BIS hallmark along with other identification details used for purity verification.
Silver Hallmarking Fee Remains Unchanged
The revised regulations also specify charges for silver articles. The hallmarking fee for silver remains ₹35 per article, with a minimum charge of ₹150 per consignment.
The notification also sets the amount payable by hallmarking centres to BIS.
For gold, centres are required to pay ₹7.50 per article to BIS, subject to a minimum of ₹20 per consignment, while the corresponding amount for silver is ₹3.50 per article, subject to a minimum of ₹15 per consignment. Applicable taxes are separate.
The minimum consignment charge for gold remains ₹200. For silver, the minimum consignment charge remains ₹150.
Why the New Fee Matters
The change comes just before the festive and wedding buying season, when demand for gold jewellery typically becomes an important consideration for jewellers and buyers.
The higher hallmarking fee adds to the costs associated with processing gold articles.
Industry representatives have also raised concerns about the effect of the increase, particularly for lightweight and lower-value jewellery, where a fixed per-article charge can represent a larger share of the item’s value.
For buyers, the key point is that the revised BIS fee is not prescribed as a separate ₹30 charge that must automatically be added to every jewellery bill.
The impact on the final price can depend on how individual jewellers account for the additional cost.
