What is BIS?

About BIS

• The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is the National Standards Body of India responsible for the development of standardisation, product certification, hallmarking and quality assurance.
• It functions under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.
• It was established on 23 December 1986 under the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 1986.
• It is the successor to the Indian Standards Institution (ISI), established in 1947.
• BIS promotes standardisation and quality certification to ensure the safety, reliability and quality of products and services.

Major Objectives

• Standardisation: Formulates Indian Standards for products, processes and services.
• Quality Assurance: Ensures conformity of products to prescribed quality standards.
• Consumer Protection: Protects consumers against substandard and unsafe products.
• International Cooperation: Promotes alignment of Indian Standards with international standards.

Key Features and Provisions of Jewellery Hallmarking

• Hallmark Identification: Hallmarked jewellery carries three marks – BIS Standard Mark, Purity/Fineness Mark and Hallmark Unique Identification (HUID) Code.
• HUID: A unique six-digit alphanumeric code assigned to each hallmarked jewellery article for identification and traceability.
• Gold Hallmarking: Mandatory since 23 June 2021; covers seven caratages – 9K, 14K, 18K, 20K, 22K, 23K and 24KS under IS 1417.
• Silver Hallmarking: Remains voluntary, but HUID-based marking is mandatory for all hallmarked silver articles since 1 September 2025.
• BIS CARE App: Enables consumers to digitally verify jewellery details using the HUID number, including purity, product type, jeweller and Assaying and Hallmarking Centre (AHC).
• Regulatory Oversight: BIS conducts inspections, random sampling, surveillance audits and enforcement actions against misuse of hallmarks.

Conclusion

BIS hallmarking strengthens consumer protection by ensuring the purity and traceability of precious metal jewellery. Through HUID-based identification, digital verification and regulatory surveillance, it promotes transparency, accountability and consumer confidence in India’s jewellery market.