UAE Gold Price: DubaiGold Making Charges in the UAE, Explained
Two shops in the same souk quote you different totals for an identical 10-gram chain. The gold rate is the same everywhere — so where's the difference coming from? Almost always, it's the making charge.
What a making charge actually is
The making charge (sometimes called wastage or labour) is the fee for turning raw gold into a finished piece — the design, craftsmanship and the shop's margin. It's added on top of the gold's market value, and it's the part of the price that's genuinely negotiable.
Two ways it's quoted
- Per gram — a flat amount, e.g. AED 30 per gram. Simple to compare across shops.
- Percentage — a share of the gold value, e.g. 12%. On a rising rate, a percentage charge costs more.
Intricate, handmade or branded pieces carry higher making charges; plain chains and bars carry the lowest. Bars and coins are cheapest of all, which is why they sit closest to the pure gold rate.
A worked example
Say 22K gold is AED 240 per gram today and you want a 10-gram chain:
- Gold value: 240 × 10 = AED 2,400
- Shop A making charge AED 25/g → 250 → AED 2,650 + VAT
- Shop B making charge 15% → 360 → AED 2,760 + VAT
Same gold, same weight — AED 110 apart before tax, purely on making charge. Knowing the AED 2,400 gold value up front is what lets you spot the gap.
How to compare and negotiate
- Always ask for the making charge as a separate number, not just the total.
- Convert everything to per-gram terms so shops are comparable.
- Buying multiple pieces or paying cash often lowers the charge.
- For pure value storage, favour bars and coins — minimal making charge.
Know the gold value before you negotiate
The UAE Gold Price: Dubai app's calculator gives you the exact gold value of any weight and karat at today's live rate — so you can see the making charge for what it is.