Bureau of Indian Standards Hallmarking and Purity Standards
PIB Backgrounder · Economy · Posted 05 NOV 2026 2:07PM
What happened
The Bureau of Indian Standards oversees hallmarking for gold and silver jewellery to certify purity and ensure consumer protection. Over 65 crore gold articles and 90 lakh silver items have been marked with Hallmark Unique Identification (HUID) numbers.
Why it matters for UPSC
This policy initiative illustrates consumer protection frameworks, standards regulation, and market transparency mechanisms relevant to the Indian economy and governance syllabus.
Key objectives
- Mandatory gold hallmarking was introduced in 2021, covering 392 districts across 7 purity grades.
- Silver hallmarking remains voluntary, but HUID-based marking became mandatory for all hallmarked silver articles starting 1 September 2025 across 8 fineness grades.
- Consumers can independently verify hallmarked articles digitally using the BIS CARE App by entering the 6-digit Hallmark Unique Identification (HUID) number.