BIS Expands Silver Lab Network Amid Gold Price Surge

The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has seen a significant increase in the number of silver hallmarking labs across India, driven by the surge in gold prices. Since introducing a Hallmark Unique Identification (HUID) number for hallmarked silver items in September 2025, the volume of hallmarked silver items has nearly doubled to 5.9 million pieces in the 2025-26 fiscal year, up from 3.2 million in 2024-25.

The BIS is expanding its network of Assaying and Hallmarking Centres, with around 230 currently handling silver testing in India. Deputy Director General (Laboratories) Nishat S Haque stated that the organisation will be able to handle the requirement for roughly the next two years, after which it will expand referral and assay laboratories across the country.

The BIS also maintains strict control over gold surveillance, with market surveillance testing of hallmarked gold items conducted within its proprietary laboratory setup rather than being outsourced. The organisation has established a network of 440 recognised laboratories and 350 empanelled laboratories, with around 23,000 standards established by the BIS, including around 700 mandatory standards.

To handle increasing workloads without compromising precision, the BIS is integrating automation, artificial intelligence, and robotics into its laboratory workflows. The agency is piloting a pick-and-place robotic arm for cement testing to evaluate speed and accuracy before rolling out similar automation across other testing procedures.