BIS Mandatory Hallmarking Extends To 18 Carat Gold
BIS proposes extending mandatory gold hallmarking to 18-carat jewellery across all registered jewellers in India, affecting Pavan and Sovereign sales in South India.
The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has proposed a draft rule extending the mandatory hallmarking requirement — already in force for 22-carat gold since 2021 — to 18-carat gold jewellery. The proposal would require all BIS-registered jewellers to hallmark 18K pieces with the 6-digit HUID (Hallmark Unique ID).
This affects buyers of 18K gold jewellery across India, particularly in urban markets where white gold and rose gold jewellery — typically 18K — are increasingly popular.
Understanding Gold Purity and Karat
18-carat gold is 75% pure (18/24 × 100). Use our gold karat purity calculator india to understand purity percentages for all karats. For South Indian buyers, the most common gold unit is the Sovereign — check our sovereign to grams gold in kerala calculator. In Tamil Nadu, the equivalent is Pavan — see pavan to grams gold in kerala.