Hallmarking Charge
A hallmarking charge is a small fixed per item fee for officially assaying and stamping a piece to certify its purity.
A hallmarking charge is the cost of testing and stamping a piece so its purity is officially certified. It is a fixed fee per article set by the assaying and hallmarking centre, not a percentage of the gold value. In India the BIS caps it at a nominal rate per article, making it a small but real line in the final price.
A flat fee, not a percentage
The hallmarking charge stands apart from the other price components because it does not scale with value. Metal value, making and GST all grow with the weight or worth of a piece. The hallmarking fee is a fixed amount per article, the same for a light pendant and a heavy bangle, because the work of assaying and laser stamping is broadly the same.
BIS sets this as a nominal per piece figure, in the region of a few tens of rupees per article plus applicable tax. On a bridal set of several pieces it adds up a little, but on any single item it is minor next to the metal cost.
Where it fits in the final price
In the price stack, the hallmarking charge sits as a small separate line alongside metal value, stone value and making charge. It is worth showing on its own rather than hiding it inside the making charge, because it represents an external certification cost the customer is effectively reimbursing.
Small as it is, it matters for trust. A hallmark is the buyer's proof that the gold is the purity claimed, so passing on a modest, transparent hallmarking fee is easy to justify at the counter, especially since hallmarking is mandatory for gold jewellery in India's notified districts.
- It is a fixed fee per article, not a percentage of value.
- BIS caps it at a nominal per piece rate in India.
- It is the same for a light and a heavy item.
- It is best shown as its own line in the price.
Hallmarking Charge, in short.
How much is the BIS hallmarking charge?
It is a nominal fixed fee per article, on the order of a few tens of rupees plus tax, set by BIS rather than calculated from the piece's gold value.
Is the hallmarking charge based on the weight of the piece?
No. Unlike the metal value and making charge, it is a flat per item fee, so it does not rise with a heavier piece.
Related terms
See hallmarking charge inside a real jewellery system.
JewelleryOS keeps product, pricing, stones and orders in one connected place, built for how jewellery businesses actually work.