A tola (11.6638g) and a sovereign or pavan (8g) are not the same unit, and mixing them up on a real purchase costs real money. This converts between all of them properly, works out the value at any purity, decodes any BIS hallmark number, and breaks down GST honestly - because gold value and making charges are taxed at different rates, and getting that wrong is a documented way people get overcharged.
Most gold calculators pick a single regional convention and treat the other as an afterthought - tola for North Indian users, sovereign or pavan for South Indian ones. That is exactly backwards for a country where both are in genuine daily use, sometimes in the same family. A tola is 11.6638 grams, standardised in 1833 and still the reference unit the RBI and gold loan lenders use. A sovereign or pavan is a fixed 8 grams regardless of purity - the same 8 grams whether the gold is 22K or 24K, since it measures weight, not gold content. Treating either as secondary to the other misses how gold is actually bought and discussed across the country.
Published gold rates - the number in the newspaper or on a jeweller's board - are almost always quoted for 24K, pure gold. To get a real value at 22K, 18K, or any other purity, that 24K rate needs to be multiplied by the purity fraction, not looked up separately. Some calculators ask for "today's rate" without specifying which purity it refers to, which invites entering an already-adjusted 22K rate into a tool that then applies the purity discount a second time - understating the value by a meaningful margin. This asks for the 24K rate specifically and does the purity maths itself, once.
Gold value carries 3% GST. Making charges - the jeweller's labour and design cost - carry a separate 5% GST, calculated on the making charges alone, not on the full bill. A real, documented billing error is charging 3% on the entire invoice (gold plus making charges combined) and then adding another 5% on making charges on top - effectively taxing the making-charges portion twice. On a modest purchase this can run to several hundred rupees; on a larger one, considerably more. This calculator applies both rates to their own correct base and shows the two lines separately, so the breakdown on your own bill can be checked against it line by line.
The three-digit number stamped alongside the BIS triangle logo states gold content in parts per thousand, not a code that needs a lookup table you don't have: 999 is 24K, 916 is 22K, 875 is 21K, 750 is 18K, 585 is 14K, and 375 is 9K. Since mandatory hallmarking began in June 2021, genuine jewellery also carries a six-character HUID, verifiable for free in the BIS CARE app - the purity number confirms what the gold is, the HUID confirms that specific piece was actually tested.
They are different fixed weights from different regional traditions. A tola is 11.6638 grams, standardised in 1833 and still used across North India and by the RBI and gold lenders. A sovereign or pavan is exactly 8 grams, the everyday unit in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka. Neither is more "correct" - they are simply different units, and mixing them up on a real transaction changes the answer by close to 50%.
Some jewellers round the tola to 10 or 11.7 grams for simpler mental maths, especially in informal or unorganised markets. It is not the official standard - 11.6638 grams is - and on a large purchase, that rounding difference can genuinely cost you. For any BIS-hallmarked purchase, insist on the invoice being written in grams, which removes the rounding question entirely.
No. A sovereign or pavan is a fixed weight, 8 grams, regardless of whether the gold is 22K or 24K - purity and weight are two separate measurements. A 22K sovereign and a 24K sovereign both weigh 8 grams; they simply contain different amounts of actual pure gold within that same 8 grams.
Published gold rates are almost always the 24K reference price. This calculator applies your chosen purity to that reference rate itself. If you instead enter an already-purity-adjusted rate (say, a 22K price you saw quoted somewhere), the purity discount gets applied twice, and the value comes out too low.
Yes - this is official, not a calculator simplification. Gold value carries 3% GST; making charges carry a separate 5% GST, calculated on the making charges alone. A bill that applies one combined rate to the whole invoice, or that charges 3% on everything and then 5% on making charges again, is charging more tax than it should.
It states gold content in parts per thousand: 916 means 916 of every 1000 parts are pure gold, which is 91.67% purity, the same as 22 karat. The standard marks are 999 (24K), 958 (23K), 916 (22K), 875 (21K), 750 (18K), 585 (14K), 417 (10K), and 375 (9K). Since June 2021, genuine hallmarked pieces also carry a six-character HUID, checkable for free in the BIS CARE app - the purity number tells you what the gold is meant to be, the HUID confirms that specific piece was actually tested.