Nine-Karat Gold Joins the Mandatory Hallmarking Regime

In July 2025, a small amendment to an Indian standard opened the door to a new category of hallmarked gold. Amendment No. 2 to IS 1417:2016 added 9-karat gold, of 375 fineness, to the list of recognised purities. Because hallmarking is mandatory for gold jewellery, that recognition pulls 9-karat gold into the certification regime for the first time.

What 9-karat gold actually is

Karat measures how much of an alloy is pure gold, out of 24 parts. Nine-karat gold is 9 parts gold to 15 parts other metals, which works out to 375 parts per thousand, or 37.5% pure gold. The rest is usually copper, silver, and zinc.

That lower gold content has trade-offs. Nine-karat gold is harder and more scratch-resistant than 22-karat, and it costs noticeably less because there is less gold in it. It is also paler in colour. For lightweight fashion jewellery, and for pieces aimed at price-conscious and younger buyers, those are useful properties.

Where it sits on the purity ladder

IS 1417 now recognises a range of gold grades, from the lightweight end up to near-pure investment gold:

Twenty-two karat remains the mainstay of Indian gold jewellery. Nine-karat now sits at the bottom of the recognised range as a formally certifiable grade.

Why the change matters

Until this amendment, 9-karat gold was not a recognised hallmarking grade in India. A jeweller could sell it, but it could not be hallmarked, which left it outside the purity guarantee that the BIS system provides. Buyers had no certified way to know what they were getting.

With 9-karat brought in, these pieces can be assayed, stamped with a HUID, and sold with the same traceability as higher grades. It also gives Indian manufacturers a certified lower-price option for both the domestic fashion segment and export markets, where 9-karat is already common.

What it means for buyers

Nine-karat is real gold, but it is a long way from 22-karat in gold content, and it should be priced accordingly. The value of the hallmark here is precision: a 9-karat piece will carry the 375 mark, so you know exactly what you are buying. Check the HUID in the BIS Care app, confirm the fineness reads 375, and make sure the price reflects 37.5% gold rather than something closer to pure.