A sterling silver spoon and a silver-plated one can look identical on the day they are made. The difference is underneath: one is silver alloy all the way through, the other is a different metal with a layer of silver on its surface. The words used to describe them are not interchangeable, and both the United States and the United Kingdom have rules about which word may be used for which. This page sets those rules out, explains the common plate marks such as EPNS, and says what each one tells you about the metal. It puts no value on any piece.
Sterling: silver throughout
In the US, the Federal Trade Commission’s Jewelry Guides cover silver in 16 CFR § 23.5. They give as an example of a misleading description the use of the words “solid silver”, “Sterling Silver”, “Sterling” or the abbreviation “Ster.” for all or part of a product unless it is at least 925/1,000ths pure silver. “Coin” or “coin silver” needs at least 900/1,000ths. The bare word “silver” should be immediately preceded by an equally conspicuous fineness in parts per thousand, such as “750 silver”.
Those markings are subject to the tolerances of the National Stamping Act, which the same section summarises: sterling articles or parts without solder may fall four parts per thousand short, and ten parts per thousand where the part tested contains solder. The silver stamp tolerance calculator works out the lowest lawful fineness for any stamp.
In the UK, 925 is one of the four silver standards in Schedule 2 to the Hallmarking Act 1973, along with 800, 958.4 (Britannia) and 999. Above 7.78 grams a silver article generally may not be described as silver unless an assay office has hallmarked it at one of those standards; the UK hallmarking guide covers the exemptions.
Silver plate: a coating
Silver-plated articles are made of another metal, often copper or a copper alloy, with a layer of silver deposited on the surface. The US rules deal with plate in two places in § 23.5:
- Using the word “silver” for a product that is not silver throughout but has a surface layer or coating of silver is misleading unless the term is adequately qualified to show that the product or part is only coated.
- Describing a product as plated or coated with silver is misleading unless all significant surfaces carry a plating or coating of silver of reasonable durability.
The guides also quote the National Stamping Act directly: silver-plated articles shall not be stamped, branded, engraved or imprinted with the word “sterling” or the word “coin”, either alone or with other words or marks (15 U.S.C. § 297(a)). So a stamp reading “sterling” is, by law, a claim that the piece is not merely plated.
The UK rule takes a similar line. Schedule 1 to the Hallmarking Act lists permissible descriptions for unhallmarked articles, and “silver” is permissible if qualified by the word “plated”. Where the description is written, the lettering of “plated” must be at least as large as any other lettering in it. A description confined to the colour of an article, such as “silver-coloured”, is also permissible.
Unlike gold plate, US rules set no minimum thickness for silver plate: the test is coverage of all significant surfaces and reasonable durability. That is why this site gives no figure for how much silver a plated piece holds. Gold plating has published minimums, and the gold plating thickness calculator works from them; silver plate has no equivalent number to work from.
EPNS and nickel silver
Two marks cause most of the confusion.
- Nickel silver, also sold as German silver or alpacca, is an alloy of copper, nickel and usually zinc. It is named for its colour. It contains no silver.
- EPNS stands for electroplated nickel silver: a nickel silver base with a layer of silver electroplated over it. The silver is the surface only. Related marks such as EP (electroplate) and A1, a maker’s quality description, also indicate plate.
The hallmark reference lists these and other plate marks next to the solid-metal marks they are often mistaken for. Nickel silver is also one of the reasons a plated piece can cause a reaction in someone with a nickel allergy once the plating wears through; the nickel allergy guide covers which metals contain nickel.
Telling them apart
- Read the marks first. A number such as 925, a word such as sterling, or a UK hallmark points to solid silver. EPNS, EP, “plate” or “plated” points to a coating. A piece with no mark at all is unproven either way.
- Look at the wear points. On plate, the silver can wear away on edges, rims and the backs of spoons, showing a base metal of a different colour beneath. Solid silver has nothing different underneath to show.
- A mark is a claim, not a test. Outside the UK and other hallmarking countries, a maker strikes their own mark, and fakes exist. Only an assay settles what a piece contains. The fake hallmark guide covers the warning signs.
Cleaning plate needs more care than cleaning solid silver, because every polish removes some of the surface, and on plate there is only a layer to remove. The silver care guide explains why storage does more than polishing.
Melt value and plate
For solid silver, the melt arithmetic is weight × fineness × the silver price, and the silver value calculator does it. For plate it cannot be done from the weight, because almost all of the weight is the base metal and the rules fix no thickness for the silver on top. Gold-coated silver is a different case again: the vermeil guide covers sterling with a gold layer.
Sources
- 16 CFR § 23.5, Misrepresentation as to silver content, with its notes (Cornell LII, read 18 October 2026).
- 15 U.S.C. §§ 294–297, the National Gold and Silver Stamping Act, as quoted in § 23.5.
- Hallmarking Act 1973, Schedules 1 and 2 (legislation.gov.uk).