Silver purity numbers: 925, 900, 835, 800 and where they were used
The number on silver is parts per thousand, but it rarely names a country on its own. Here is where each standard shows up and which marks travel with it.
Quick answerA three-digit number on silver gives its purity in parts per thousand. 925 is sterling, 900 is the US “coin” standard, and 800 is the traditional minimum in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Italy, often called continental silver. 835 is a genuine standard too, but our sources can’t tie it to any one country. The number alone rarely tells you where a piece was made; look for the national symbol beside it.
This guide explains what each common purity number means and where our sources place it. It’s a starting point for narrowing a country, not a way to settle one. Many numbers were shared across borders, and the symbol struck next to the number usually says more than the number does.
How to read the number
The number counts parts of pure silver per 1,000. So 800 means 80 percent silver, and 925 means 92.5 percent. Nothing about a lower number makes it fake.
800 and 835 aren’t “fake silver.” They’re legal standards in many countries. A piece marked 800 is solid silver at a lower purity than sterling, not plate.
Some countries attach a letter to the number. Norway used an S, and Finland uses an H:
Older silver may use a different system entirely, counting Loth or zolotniki instead of thousandths. We convert those further down.
The numbers at a glance
| Number | What it is | Where our sources place it |
|---|---|---|
| 999 | Highest UK hallmarking standard | One of four finenesses UK assay offices hallmark today |
| 958 | Britannia silver | Britain: compulsory 1697 to 1720, optional after; still hallmarked in the UK |
| 950 | France’s first standard | France (Minerva head, since 1838); Italy after 1872 (female head) |
| 935 | Swiss standard | Switzerland, after 1880 |
| 934 | Dutch standard marked 1 | Netherlands after 1814 (standing lion with 1) |
| 925 | Sterling | England from the 12th century; UK, Canada, Australia and other Commonwealth countries from the 19th to the mid-20th century; also Denmark, Finland, Italy (modern), Switzerland and the US |
| 900 | US “coin” standard | United States by federal law; Italy after 1872; Switzerland after 1880 |
| 875 | Swiss standard; also 14 Loth and Russian 84 | Switzerland after 1880; older German and Russian systems |
| 835 | Continental European standard | Not tied to one country in our sources |
| 833 | Dutch standard marked 2 | Netherlands after 1814 (standing lion with 2) |
| 830 | Danish, Norwegian and Finnish standard | Denmark from about 1911; Norway (lowest allowed); Finland (830H) |
| 826 | Earlier Danish standard | Denmark, before 830 |
| 813 | Finnish standard | Finland (813H) |
| 800 | “Continental silver” | Germany from 1888; France’s second standard; Italy; Austria; Switzerland; still hallmarked in the UK |
| 750 | 12 Loth | German silver before 1888 |
The table shows why the number alone misleads. 800, 900 and 925 each turn up in several countries, so assigning a country from one of them is a guess.
835: the number without a home
We couldn’t tie 835 to a specific country from a primary source. Some online guides attribute it to the Netherlands, Belgium or Austria. The Beer Stein Journal article, though, gives the Dutch standards after 1814 as 934 and 833, not 835.
Until better evidence turns up, we treat 835 as continental European and not country-specific. If your piece reads 835, the symbols next to the number are the only route to a country.
Numbers that come with a national mark
Several countries in our sources paired the number with a symbol or a letter, and that addition is what identifies them.
France
France has used the Minerva head for solid silver since 1838, at 950 for the first standard and 800 for the second.
Germany
From 1888, German silver was marked 800 together with a crescent moon and an imperial crown. The Beer Stein Journal article gives that date. One further source, an Antique Silver Hallmarks blog we saw only in search results, says the crescent and crown came from a Reich hallmarking law of 1884, which set 800 as the minimum and took full effect on 1 January 1888. Treat the 1884 date as less firmly sourced than 1888.
Italy
After 1872 Italy used female heads to mark 950, 900 and 800. Modern Italian marks use a flag with a 1 for 925 or a 2 for 800.
The Netherlands
After 1814, a standing lion with a 1 meant 934, and with a 2 meant 833.
Scandinavia and Finland
Denmark’s standards were 826 and then 830 from about 1911. Danish 925 was marked 925S or STERLING, and Denmark adopted the Copenhagen three-towers mark nationally in 1893. Norway adopted a thousandths system in 1891, marked with an S as in 830S or S830; 830 was the lowest purity allowed. Finland marks purity with an H: 925H, 830H or 813H.
Britain and the Commonwealth
UK assay offices hallmark silver today at 800, 925, 958 and 999. The 958 Britannia standard was compulsory from 1697 to 1720 and optional afterwards. For the rest of a British hallmark, see our guide to reading British silver hallmarks.
United States
Federal law ties “coin” to 900 and “sterling” to 925. On American silver, look for those words as well as numbers such as 925 or 925/1000; our sterling, coin silver and silverplate guide covers them.
Old systems: Loth and zolotniki
Before thousandths, German and Swiss silver used the Loth system. Germany used it until 1888 and Switzerland until 1880. Russia counted in zolotniki out of 96.
| Mark | System | Equals |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | Loth (Germany, before 1888) | 750 |
| 14 | Loth (Germany, before 1888) | 875 |
| 84 | Zolotniki (Russia) | 875 |
| 88 | Zolotniki (Russia) | 916 |
| 91 | Zolotniki (Russia) | 947 |
Russian 84 doesn’t mean 84 percent silver. It means 84 of 96 zolotniki, which works out to about 875 in thousandths, well above 800.
Putting it together
Read the number first, so you know the purity. Then look hard at what sits beside it: a Minerva head, a crescent and crown, a standing lion, three towers or a letter such as S or H. That symbol, not the number, is what points to a country. If there’s no symbol and the number is 800, 835, 900 or 925, record the purity and leave the country open.
From there, take any maker’s mark to the Mark Finder or browse the silver hub.
Sources
- Silver standards – Wikipedia
- Hallmarking Guidance Notes (PDF) – GOV.UK / Office for Product Safety
- Silver hallmarks – Wikipedia
- European Silver Quality Markings – The Beer Stein Library (Beer Stein Journal article)
- German silver hallmarks: the crown, moon, and 800 standard – Antique Silver Hallmarks
- Denmark silver hallmarks – silvercollection.it
- 15 U.S. Code 296 – Silver articles; stamping – Cornell LII
Questions people ask
Is 800 silver real silver?
Yes. 800 means 800 parts per thousand pure silver, the traditional minimum in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Italy. UK assay offices still hallmark silver at 800 today.
What does 925S mean?
It is 925, or sterling, with an S added. Denmark marked 925 silver as 925S or STERLING, and Norway used an S with its numbers from 1891, as in 830S.
Which country used 835 silver?
Our sources can't tie 835 to one country. Some online guides name the Netherlands, Belgium or Austria, but the Beer Stein Journal gives 934 and 833 for the Netherlands after 1814, so we treat 835 as continental European and not country-specific.
What does a crescent moon and crown next to 800 mean?
That combination marked German silver from 1888. One source seen only in search results ties it to a Reich law of 1884 that took full effect on 1 January 1888.
The Mark Index is a reference for identifying and dating marks. It isn’t an appraisal or a guarantee of authenticity. Reproductions and later reissues can carry old marks.