Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
India’s published GST schedule lists 3% IGST for unwrought or semi-manufactured gold under tariff heading 7108 and silver under heading 7106. That is the GST component for those classifications—not a universal tax rate or the total cost of importing gold or silver. Customs duty and the valuation used to assess import taxes are separate, and the applicable treatment depends on the product and import route.
What the 3% figure means—and what it does not
The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) goods schedule, accessed in 2026, lists 3% IGST for unwrought or semi-manufactured gold (heading 7108) and silver (heading 7106). For goods that fall within those entries, 3% is the scheduled GST component at import.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
It does not mean that importing any form of gold or silver costs 3% in total, nor that 3% can simply be added to a quoted bullion price to determine the final landed cost. Import IGST is charged under customs import provisions on a value determined under the Customs Tariff Act. Customs duty and any other applicable import components are distinct from IGST, and their treatment depends on the product’s classification, route and relevant current notifications.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesThere is no single current customs-duty total established for every commercial import of gold and silver. A reliable estimate therefore needs the exact goods and the rules in force for the particular import, not just the metal’s spot price or the 3% schedule entry.
#1 Best Overall
IGST and customs duty are separate layers
IGST is the GST component applied to an import. Customs duty is a separate import charge. The two should not be treated as interchangeable or combined as if they necessarily use the same base. The applicable import IGST base is determined through customs import rules, and the exact assessment depends on the goods and tariff treatment.
For a commercial shipment, calculate from the specific tariff classification and applicable assessment rules. Do not use an online headline rate for “gold import duty” as though it also established the IGST base, the treatment of every other charge, or the final price of a particular coin or jewellery item.
The tariff heading matters
The 3% entries cited above concern unwrought or semi-manufactured metal under headings 7108 and 7106. They should not be automatically applied to coins, finished jewellery or another article merely because it contains gold or silver. The product’s classification—not simply the metal’s name or purity—determines which schedule entry and customs treatment must be checked.
PC Slower Than It Used to Be?
A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11Outdated Drivers Are Slowing You Down
One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchHow GST can affect the cost of imported metal
For a qualifying bullion import, IGST adds a tax calculated on the import value assessed under the applicable customs rules. That value may not be the same as a spot-market quote. The final amount payable also depends on the relevant customs duty and any other applicable components. Because these inputs vary by classification and import circumstances, the schedule’s 3% figure alone cannot produce a trustworthy landed-cost total.
The Customs Act describes transaction value as the price paid or payable, subject to conditions. The value may include specified transport, insurance, loading, unloading and handling costs. The Act also allows notified tariff values for classes of goods. Consequently, neither a metal-price quote nor an invoice’s headline goods price is necessarily the complete customs assessment value.
What belongs in the customs-value file
An importer should retain the commercial invoice, purchase contract, packing list, transport documents, insurance details and records supporting any related charges. These documents help show how the declared price was determined and whether costs that the valuation rules require to be included were considered. A declared value that omits relevant freight, insurance or handling can produce an unreliable tax calculation even when the metal quantity and purity are correct.
Where a notified tariff value applies, the importer cannot simply substitute a lower spot quote or an unrelated private-market price. The applicable valuation mechanism should be identified in the calculation, with the date and notification recorded. If customs questions the declared transaction value, an importer may need evidence of the relationship between the parties, payment terms and other conditions that affect acceptance of transaction value.
Quick wins for a faster PC:
Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Rank #2
- Ideal for Gifting
- Ideal for a bookworm
- Compact for travelling
A useful calculation framework
Before estimating the GST amount, identify the product, its tariff heading, the import route and the valuation basis. Then check the current customs treatment and calculate the tax on the correct assessment base. A transparent estimate should show its assumptions rather than presenting a single percentage as the cost of import.
- Identify the goods. Establish whether the shipment is unwrought or semi-manufactured bullion, a coin, jewellery or another article. Do not assume the bullion headings apply to all forms.
- Determine the tariff classification. Use the exact heading for the product. Classification is a key input to both the GST schedule check and the customs-duty enquiry.
- Establish the route and relevant details. A commercial import and an eligible passenger-baggage import are not interchangeable cases. For a commercial estimate, include relevant origin details and the intended import date when checking the applicable treatment.
- Determine the customs value. Start with the transaction value where the rules permit it, and account for the specified costs or any notified tariff value that applies. Do not assume the spot quote is the assessment value.
- Check the current customs components. Confirm the basic customs duty and any other notified components for the exact goods and route. Do not carry forward a rate from an older calculation without checking the notification applicable to the import.
- Determine the import IGST base and amount. Apply the import provisions to the assessed value and relevant customs treatment. For the specified unwrought or semi-manufactured gold and silver schedule entries, the published IGST rate is 3%.
- Keep the output separate from retail pricing. A landed import estimate is not automatically the price a consumer pays for a coin or jewellery. Seller premiums, making charges and the tax treatment of the retail transaction are separate considerations.
A spreadsheet or broker worksheet should show, in separate lines, the customs value, each applicable customs component, the resulting import-tax base, the 3% IGST where the heading qualifies, and logistics or clearance costs that are not taxes. This makes it easier to identify whether a quoted “landed price” includes only government charges or also freight, insurance, brokerage, financing and the seller’s margin.
Where to check a live commercial estimate
ICEGATE’s import-duty enquiry is the official starting point for checking a live commercial estimate using the exact tariff heading and relevant origin details. Verify the governing customs notification as well; an enquiry result should be read in the context of the classification and date being assessed. If the goods’ classification or valuation is uncertain, obtain advice from a qualified customs or tax professional rather than treating a broad rate as definitive.
Comparing products and buying routes
| Case | What must be checked | Why the 3% bullion entry may not answer it |
|---|---|---|
| Unwrought or semi-manufactured bullion | Heading 7106 or 7108, customs value, origin, current notifications and import IGST base | The 3% figure is the GST layer; customs duty and valuation remain separate |
| Gold or silver coin | Coin’s precise tariff classification, route, valuation and applicable schedule entry | A coin is a finished form and should not automatically be treated as unwrought metal |
| Imported jewellery | Article classification, customs treatment, declared value, stones or other components and route | Jewellery may have different import treatment from bullion; retail GST is a separate transaction |
| Domestic jewellery purchase | Retail invoice, total transaction value and separately stated making charges | CBIC’s retail rule says GST is 3% of total transaction value, not an import calculation |
| Eligible passenger baggage | Passenger eligibility, permitted form and quantity, payment conditions and current notification | Baggage rules are conditional and do not establish ordinary commercial-import rates |
This comparison is useful when a seller advertises “imported gold” without explaining whether the product was imported as bullion, transformed into a coin or jewellery, and then sold domestically. The tax point at import and the tax point at retail are different events. A consumer should request an invoice that identifies the product and the charges included rather than reverse-engineering a tax amount from a headline metal price.
Why a coin or jewellery purchase may not follow the bullion rate
A gold coin can prompt the question “How much GST does a coin add?” The answer cannot be inferred solely from the 3% entry for unwrought or semi-manufactured gold. A coin is a different product form from unwrought bullion, so its tariff classification and applicable schedule entry must be checked before applying any rate. The same caution applies to silver coins and to finished articles.
Retail jewellery is a separate transaction from importing metal. CBIC’s Sectoral FAQ on Gems and Jewellery says GST on a gold, diamond or silver jewellery sale is 3% of the total transaction value, whether the making charge is shown separately or not. In other words, separately displaying a making charge does not, under that stated retail rule, make the GST apply only to the metal value.
That retail-jewellery rule does not determine the complete tax burden on the earlier import of metal, establish the customs treatment of an imported finished jewellery item, or tell a buyer how much a particular shop will charge. The import and retail stages must be assessed separately.
Making charges, premiums and retail margins
For bullion, a dealer may quote a premium over a reference metal price for fabrication, assay, packaging, financing, inventory and distribution. For a coin, the premium can reflect minting and limited production. For jewellery, making charges, stones, design work and the seller’s margin can all affect the invoice. These commercial amounts should not be confused with customs duty or import IGST.
When comparing two domestic offers, compare like with like: same metal, purity, weight, product form, invoice terms and buy-back conditions. A lower displayed metal price may be offset by a higher fabrication or service charge. A tax-inclusive retail price also cannot be used to infer the importer’s customs value without the import documents.
Questions to ask before comparing a quoted price
- Is the item bullion, a coin, jewellery or another product?
- Does the quoted amount describe an import assessment, a dealer’s selling price or a retail jewellery transaction?
- For an import estimate, what tariff heading, valuation basis, route and current customs notification were used?
- For a jewellery sale, is GST calculated on the total transaction value under the CBIC guidance, including separately stated making charges?
- Does the price include a seller premium or making charge that is separate from the customs tax calculation?
- Is the quotation tax-inclusive, and does it separately identify freight, insurance, clearance or delivery?
- Does the seller provide purity, weight and hallmark or assay documentation appropriate to the product?
Commercial imports and passenger baggage are different cases
Passenger imports are subject to their own eligibility, form, quantity and payment conditions. CBIC passenger customs guidance and the 2026 Baggage Rules concern eligible passenger imports; they do not establish the ordinary commercial-import rate. A passenger should confirm the currently applicable notification and whether the particular person, goods and circumstances meet its conditions before relying on a baggage treatment.
That distinction matters because a passenger’s allowance or procedure cannot be used as a shortcut to estimate a commercial shipment. Conversely, a commercial-import calculation should not be presented as the amount a particular passenger will owe without checking the rules that govern that passenger’s case.
Travellers should also distinguish accompanied baggage from a courier or postal consignment. The person’s residence, travel history, duration abroad, form of the metal and the manner of declaration can affect eligibility and payment requirements. An allowance that applies to one passenger or one form of article is not a general exemption for every gold or silver item.
Input tax credit and business records
A registered business may ask whether import IGST can be treated as input tax credit. The 3% schedule entry alone does not establish eligibility. Credit depends on the importer’s registration, the nature and use of the goods, valid customs and tax documentation, and the conditions in force when the return is filed. A business should reconcile the bill of entry, payment records and accounting treatment, and obtain professional confirmation before relying on credit in pricing or cash-flow projections.
Even where credit is available, it does not erase customs duty or guarantee a lower consumer price. It affects the registered business’s tax accounting, while freight, financing, wastage, premiums and retail margins still influence the amount charged to a buyer.
Rank #4
What a buyer or importer should do next
If you are buying bullion from a seller in India
Ask what the displayed price covers and whether it is a retail selling price or a quoted metal value. The 3% import IGST schedule entry is not, by itself, a method for backing tax out of a domestic seller’s price or predicting the final price of a coin. For jewellery, use the separate CBIC guidance on GST as a percentage of total transaction value; do not assume that bullion and jewellery sales have identical pricing components.
If you are importing commercially
Prepare the exact product description, likely tariff heading, origin details, route, declared transaction value and relevant transport or insurance costs. Check the ICEGATE enquiry and the governing notification for the import date. Confirm the customs valuation and the IGST assessment base before quoting a landed total. If you are a registered business considering input-tax credit, verify eligibility and documentation separately; the 3% schedule entry alone does not establish whether a particular importer can claim credit or how it should be recorded.
If you are travelling with gold or silver
Check the current passenger rules and notification for your eligibility, permitted form and quantity, and payment conditions. Do not assume that a commercial import calculation, a bullion schedule rate or another traveller’s experience determines your own case.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Common mistakes that lead to a misleading estimate
- Calling 3% the total import cost. It is the published IGST rate for specified unwrought or semi-manufactured gold and silver entries, not a universal landed-cost percentage.
- Applying the bullion entry to every product. Coins, jewellery and other articles may be classified differently, so the relevant schedule and customs treatment must be checked for the exact item.
- Adding rates without checking the base. Customs duty and import IGST are separate; do not simply add headline percentages without establishing the applicable assessment base and tariff treatment.
- Using spot price as customs value. Customs valuation rules can include specified costs, and notified tariff values can apply to classes of goods.
- Using retail jewellery guidance to calculate an import. The CBIC FAQ’s 3% of total transaction value rule concerns a jewellery sale, not the total tax at import.
- Applying passenger rules to a commercial shipment. Baggage provisions are conditional and do not establish the ordinary commercial-import treatment.
- Relying on a stale duty figure. Check the notification and enquiry result relevant to the exact heading and import date.
- Hiding charges inside one headline price. Ask whether freight, insurance, brokerage, storage, making charges and seller premiums are included, because these items can change the amount paid without changing the GST rate.
- Assuming tax-inclusive means customs-inclusive. A domestic seller’s tax-inclusive invoice does not reveal which import duties were paid or how the importer valued the goods.
What the published figures can—and cannot—tell you
The official material establishes the 3% IGST schedule entries for unwrought or semi-manufactured gold and silver and the separate 3% retail-jewellery rule described above. It does not establish one universal, current customs-duty total for all commercial gold and silver imports, or a reliable market-wide statistic for how much import GST changes consumer prices.
That means a consumer should not interpret the published bullion rate as a guaranteed 3% increase in every gold or silver product’s shelf price. The relationship between an import tax and a particular retail price depends on the product classification, import valuation and route, applicable customs components, and the seller’s pricing. The official rules identify tax treatment; they do not quantify a uniform pass-through to retail buyers.
For a current estimate, start with the exact item and route, use the applicable tariff heading and valuation rules, and verify the live customs treatment. If the question is instead about jewellery purchased from a retailer, assess the retail transaction on its own terms.
Recommended Free Tools
Frequently Asked Questions
How much GST is charged on imported gold in India?
CBIC’s published schedule lists 3% IGST for unwrought or semi-manufactured gold under heading 7108. That is the GST component for qualifying goods, not the total import cost. Customs duty, valuation and other charges must be checked separately.
Best Value
- It can be a gift option
- Comes with secure packaging
- Helpful in various ways
Does imported silver have GST?
Yes. The published schedule lists 3% IGST for unwrought or semi-manufactured silver under heading 7106. The rate should not automatically be applied to coins, jewellery or other silver articles with different classifications.
Is GST included in gold import duty?
No. Import IGST and customs duty are separate layers. They can be assessed using related customs values, but the applicable bases and tariff treatment must be established for the exact goods and route rather than adding headline percentages mechanically.
How much does GST add to the price of a gold coin?
There is no universal answer from the bullion entry alone. A coin’s tariff classification, customs value, route and current notification must be checked. The domestic price may also include minting, dealer premium, logistics and retail charges.
Is GST on jewellery charged only on the gold value?
CBIC’s Gems and Jewellery FAQ states that GST is 3% of the total transaction value of gold, diamond or silver jewellery, whether making charges are shown separately or not. That retail rule is distinct from the tax calculation at import.
Can I use the spot price as the customs value?
Not necessarily. Customs valuation generally starts with transaction value subject to conditions and can include specified transport, insurance, loading, unloading and handling costs. Notified tariff values may also apply to certain classes of goods.
Do passenger baggage rules give the same result as a commercial import?
No. Passenger treatment is conditional on eligibility, form, quantity and payment requirements under the applicable baggage rules and notifications. It should not be used to estimate an ordinary commercial shipment, or vice versa.
Where can an importer check the current amount?
Use ICEGATE’s import-duty enquiry with the exact tariff heading and relevant origin details, then verify the governing customs notification for the import date. If classification or valuation is uncertain, consult a qualified customs or tax professional.
The Tool Desk
Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →The Bottom Line
The 3% IGST entries for headings 7106 and 7108 describe a GST layer for specified unwrought or semi-manufactured silver and gold. They do not state the total landed cost or predict a retail price. Identify the product form, confirm classification, establish the customs value, check current customs components and route-specific rules, and keep import taxation separate from domestic jewellery pricing.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
