diff --git a/modules/core/perf/perf_gemm.cpp b/modules/core/perf/perf_gemm.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..de8ad54815
--- /dev/null
+++ b/modules/core/perf/perf_gemm.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,117 @@
+#include "perf_precomp.hpp"
+
+namespace opencv_test
+{
+using namespace perf;
+
+CV_FLAGS(GemmFlag, 0, GEMM_1_T, GEMM_2_T, GEMM_3_T)
+
+typedef tuple<tuple<int, int, int>, MatType, GemmFlag> GemmTestParams_t;
+class GemmTest : public perf::TestBaseWithParam<GemmTestParams_t>
+{
+    public:
+    void runGemmTest(const GemmTestParams_t& params)
+    {
+        int M = get<0>(get<0>(params));
+        int N = get<1>(get<0>(params));
+        int K = get<2>(get<0>(params));
+        int type = get<1>(params);
+        int flags = get<2>(params);
+
+        Size aSize = (flags & GEMM_1_T) ? Size(M, K) : Size(K, M);
+        Size bSize = (flags & GEMM_2_T) ? Size(K, N) : Size(N, K);
+
+        Mat src1(aSize, type), src2(bSize, type), src3(M, N, type), dst(M, N, type);
+        declare.in(src1, src2, src3, WARMUP_RNG).out(dst);
+
+        TEST_CYCLE() cv::gemm(src1, src2, 1.0, src3, 1.0, dst, flags);
+
+        if (dst.total() * dst.channels() < 26)
+            SANITY_CHECK_NOTHING();
+        else
+            SANITY_CHECK(dst, (CV_MAT_DEPTH(type) == CV_32F) ? 1e-4 : 1e-6, ERROR_RELATIVE);
+    };
+};
+
+// Sparse coverage: exercise tiny/small/rectangular shapes and m=1/n=1 edge cases.
+// Large square sizes (640+) are covered by opencl/perf_gemm.cpp on the CPU perf tool.
+PERF_TEST_P(GemmTest, gemmTiny,
+            testing::Combine(
+                testing::Values(
+                    make_tuple(2, 2, 2),
+                    make_tuple(3, 3, 3)
+                ),
+                testing::Values(CV_32FC1, CV_64FC1),
+                testing::Values(0, (int)GEMM_1_T, (int)GEMM_2_T,
+                                (int)(GEMM_1_T | GEMM_2_T))
+            ))
+{
+    GemmTest::runGemmTest(GetParam());
+}
+
+PERF_TEST_P(GemmTest, gemmSmall,
+            testing::Combine(
+                testing::Values(
+                    make_tuple(8, 8, 8),
+                    make_tuple(32, 32, 32),
+                    make_tuple(64, 64, 64),
+                    make_tuple(8, 16, 32)
+                ),
+                testing::Values(CV_32FC1),
+                testing::Values(0, (int)GEMM_2_T)
+            ))
+{
+    GemmTest::runGemmTest(GetParam());
+}
+
+PERF_TEST_P(GemmTest, gemmSquare,
+            testing::Combine(
+                testing::Values(
+                    make_tuple(256, 256, 256),
+                    make_tuple(512, 512, 512)
+                ),
+                testing::Values(CV_32FC1),
+                testing::Values(0)
+            ))
+{
+    GemmTest::runGemmTest(GetParam());
+}
+
+PERF_TEST_P(GemmTest, gemmRect,
+            testing::Combine(
+                testing::Values(
+                    make_tuple(1024, 64, 256),
+                    make_tuple(256, 1024, 512)
+                ),
+                testing::Values(CV_32FC1),
+                testing::Values(0)
+            ))
+{
+    GemmTest::runGemmTest(GetParam());
+}
+
+PERF_TEST_P(GemmTest, gemmM1,
+            testing::Combine(
+                testing::Values(
+                    make_tuple(1, 64, 2500)
+                ),
+                testing::Values(CV_32FC1),
+                testing::Values(0, (int)GEMM_1_T)
+            ))
+{
+    GemmTest::runGemmTest(GetParam());
+}
+
+PERF_TEST_P(GemmTest, gemmN1,
+            testing::Combine(
+                testing::Values(
+                    make_tuple(256, 1, 256)
+                ),
+                testing::Values(CV_32FC1),
+                testing::Values(0)
+            ))
+{
+    GemmTest::runGemmTest(GetParam());
+}
+
+} // namespace