Gold Rates in Bangladesh — The Vori, BAJUS Rates and How Pricing Works

Bangladesh has its own gold pricing conventions, and they differ enough from neighbouring markets that assuming familiarity leads to mistakes. Two things matter most: the unit, and the grading system.

The vori

Gold in Bangladesh is priced per vori (also written bhori) — 11.6638038 grams, identical to the South Asian tola. It is exactly three-eighths of a troy ounce.

The vori subdivides differently from the tola, though:

• 1 vori = 16 ana, each 0.7289877 g
• Smaller weights are quoted in ana, and sometimes in roti

So a piece described as "2 vori 8 ana" is 2.5 vori, which is 29.16 grams. If you are used to the masha system used in Pakistan, note this is a different subdivision entirely — sixteenths, not twelfths.

Who sets the rate

Rates are announced by the national jewellers' association, which publishes a daily rate by grade and revises it when the international price moves significantly. Shops across the country follow the announced rate closely.

As in Pakistan and India, this means the metal price is not the thing you negotiate. It is published. What varies between shops is the making charge.

The grading system

This is the part specific to Bangladesh. Rather than quoting karat alone, gold is commonly categorised into grades that reflect both purity and origin:

• 22K / hallmarked — the highest standard grade
• 21K
• 18K
• Traditional or "sanatan" gold — recycled and traditionally worked gold, sold at a distinctly lower rate

Each grade has its own announced rate. The traditional grade in particular sits well below the others, because its purity is not certified to the same standard.

When comparing a quoted price, check which grade it refers to. A rate that looks unusually good is often a lower grade rather than a better deal.

Why the local rate sits above the international one

Bangladesh imports the great majority of its gold, and the announced local rate typically sits above the international spot price converted at the market exchange rate. The gap reflects:

• Import costs and duty
• The exchange rate actually available to importers
• Local demand, which peaks sharply around wedding seasons
• Association pricing practice, which smooths intraday moves

Our Bangladesh gold rate page shows the international spot price converted to taka per vori and per gram at every karat. Comparing that against the announced local rate tells you how large the premium is on a given day — which is genuinely useful information and something the local rate alone cannot tell you.

Making charges

Making charges — locally often called *majuri* — are added on top of the metal value, along with a wastage percentage.

They vary widely by design complexity, and they are negotiable, particularly on simple machine-made items. The approach that works is the same one that works everywhere: ask for the metal value and the making charge as two separate numbers. Once the metal value is fixed by the announced rate, everything else is a discussion about the premium.

Hallmarking

Hallmarking has been increasingly required and enforced, and established retailers hallmark their pieces. Enforcement is not uniform across all sellers, so the practical protection is buying hallmarked stock from a reputable jeweller and checking the stamp before paying.

An unstamped piece has an unverified purity. That is worth a discount, not a premium.

Selling

Selling means accepting a price below the announced rate. The buyer deducts for refining and margin, and the making charge you originally paid does not return.

Buy-back terms at the shop that sold you the piece are usually the best available, particularly with the original receipt, and exchange against new jewellery typically returns more than a cash sale.

Before you pay

• The announced rate for the day, and which grade the quote refers to
• The piece weighed in front of you
• Its hallmark
• Metal value and making charge, separately
• The wastage percentage
• A written receipt with weight, grade and every charge
• The buy-back policy, in writing

Quick reference

Our unit converter handles all of these with live prices attached.