Two editions of the same standard
Silver hallmarking in India follows the Bureau of Indian Standards’ IS 2112. On 4 September 2025 the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution announced, through the Press Information Bureau, that IS 2112:2025 had replaced IS 2112:2014, and that HUID-based hallmarking for silver jewellery and articles was being introduced on a voluntary basis with effect from 1 September 2025.
The two editions list different grades. Under IS 2112:2014, silver could be hallmarked in six purity grades: 800, 835, 900, 925, 970 and 990. IS 2112:2025 lists seven: 800, 835, 925, 958, 970, 990 and 999. The release states that 958 and 999 were newly added; comparing the two lists shows that 900 does not appear in the new one. A grade is parts per thousand of pure silver, so 925 means 925 parts in 1,000, or 92.5%.
At the time of writing, the hallmarking FAQ on the BIS website still shows the six 2014 grades. This page gives both lists, and says which edition each grade belongs to, rather than silently choosing one.
What the hallmark looks like
Under the 2014 edition, a silver hallmark had four components: the BIS mark with the word SILVER, the purity grade or fineness, the assay (testing) centre’s identification mark, and the jeweller’s or manufacturer’s identification mark.
Under the 2025 edition it has three: the BIS Standard Mark with the word SILVER, the purity grade, and a Hallmarking Unique Identification (HUID) code. A December 2025 government update describes the HUID as a six-digit alphanumeric code laser-marked on each hallmarked silver article. For pieces hallmarked after 1 September 2025, the BIS Care app shows the article type, purity grade, date of hallmarking, the assaying and hallmarking centre’s details and the jeweller’s registration number.
Voluntary hallmarking, mandatory HUID
Gold hallmarking is mandatory in much of India; silver hallmarking is not. The December 2025 update states that the silver hallmarking scheme remains voluntary, while HUID marking has been made mandatory for any silver article that is hallmarked. In plain terms: a silver piece does not have to be hallmarked at all, but if it is hallmarked under the current scheme, it carries a HUID.
The same update reports that grades 925 and 800 made up nearly 90% of the silver hallmarked in the first three months, and that anklets were the largest category, predominantly at 800.
Reading a grade on an older piece
A piece hallmarked 900 was marked under the 2014 edition, since 900 is not in the 2025 list. A piece hallmarked 958 or 999 was marked under the 2025 edition, which added those grades, and should carry a HUID. The grades 800, 835, 925, 970 and 990 appear in both editions, so the grade alone does not date the mark; the presence of a HUID, or of separate assay-centre and jeweller marks, does.
The calculator also states the weight of pure silver a grade claims for a piece of a given weight: weight × grade ÷ 1,000. A 50 g anklet marked 800 claims 40 g of pure silver. That is a statement of what the mark asserts, not an assay of the piece and not a value. Weigh only the silver: stones, threads, lac fillings and non-silver fittings are not part of it.
How this compares with other countries
Some Indian grades line up with standards elsewhere and some do not. 925 is the sterling standard in both the UK and the US. 958 sits beside the UK’s Britannia standard, which the UK Hallmarking Act gives to one decimal place as 958.4 and marks with the figures 958. 800 is also a UK standard. The silver purity by country table on this site sets India’s grades beside the UK and US standards, with the law behind each, and the silver value calculator works from any of these finenesses.