Gold melt value calculator
Last updated
Melt value is the weight of actual metal in an item, priced at spot. It is arithmetic: weight, times purity, divided by the troy ounce, times the price. Nothing more.
You supply this. We do not publish a price, because the one that matters is the one you are actually being quoted.
enter a spot price
metal content only—
Purity applied1 ozt = 31.1034768 g1 oz = 28.349523125 g
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Nothing you type here is sent anywhere. The arithmetic runs in your browser.
This is not what you will be paid. Dealers buy scrap below spot and sell bullion above it, and refining, assay and margin all sit in between. It is not an offer, a quote, or advice, and we publish no forecast. Read the disclaimer.
Why purity is the whole calculation
This is the mistake that costs real money, and most calculators make it. A gold ring weighing ten grams is not ten grams of gold. If it is 14K, it is 5.83 grams of gold and the rest is alloy.
Ignore purity and you overstate a 14K item by 71%. That is not a rounding error, it is the difference between a fair price and being taken advantage of. Karat is a statement of purity, not of weight: it says what fraction of the metal is gold, out of twenty-four parts.
| Karat | Stamp | Purity | Gold per gram | Gold per standard oz | Gold per troy oz |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24K | 999 | 99.9% | 0.999 g | 28.321 g | 31.072 g |
| 22K | 916 | 91.67% | 0.9167 g | 25.987 g | 28.512 g |
| 21K | 875 | 87.5% | 0.875 g | 24.806 g | 27.216 g |
| 18K | 750 | 75% | 0.75 g | 21.262 g | 23.328 g |
| 14K | 585 | 58.33% | 0.5833 g | 16.537 g | 18.144 g |
| 10K | 417 | 41.67% | 0.4167 g | 11.812 g | 12.96 g |
| 9K | 375 | 37.5% | 0.375 g | 10.631 g | 11.664 g |
Why we ask you for the price
Almost every calculator like this shows a price it fetched a while ago. We ask you to type one instead, for three reasons.
The number that matters is the one you are being quoted. If you are standing at a dealer's counter, their figure beats ours. Typing it in gives you the arithmetic against the real number rather than against a cached one.
A stale price is worse than no price. Metals move during the day. A figure fetched this morning and presented as current is a quietly wrong answer, and this site's whole purpose is not giving those.
It keeps the output yours. You supply the price, so the result is your calculation. We are not valuing your property, and we are not in a position to.
Weighing it correctly
Precious metals are weighed in troy ounces, which are 31.1034768 g, not the 28.349523125 g standard ounce your kitchen scale uses. Get that wrong and you are out by 9.71% before purity is even considered.
The calculator above accepts grams, troy ounces, standard ounces, pennyweight and tola, so you can enter whatever your scale or your receipt says. If your scale reads in grams, use grams: it removes a whole class of error.
Frequently asked
What is melt value?
Melt value is the worth of the actual metal in an item at the current spot price, ignoring craftsmanship, brand, rarity, and condition. It is calculated as weight times purity, divided by the troy ounce, times the spot price. It is a floor rather than a valuation: a piece can be worth far more than its melt value, and scrap is usually bought for less.
How much gold is in 10 grams of 14K?
5.83 grams. 14K means fourteen parts gold out of twenty-four, or 58.33% pure, so the remaining 4.17 grams is alloy metal. Treating all ten grams as gold overstates the metal content by 71%.
Does a higher karat mean the item weighs more?
No. Karat describes purity, not weight. A ten gram 14K ring and a ten gram 24K ring weigh exactly the same. The 24K ring simply contains more gold within that ten grams.
Why does this calculator not show a live gold price?
Because the price that matters is the one you are actually being quoted, and a figure fetched hours ago and presented as current is a quietly wrong answer. You enter the spot price, so the result is your calculation against a real number rather than ours against a cached one.
Will a dealer pay me the melt value?
Almost never. Dealers buy scrap below spot to cover refining, assay, and their margin, and they sell bullion above it. Melt value tells you what the metal in an item is worth at spot, which is useful as a reference point when judging an offer. It is not a price anyone has offered you.
Should I weigh gold in troy ounces or normal ounces?
Gold is always priced per troy ounce, which is 31.1034768 grams. A standard ounce is 28.349523125 grams, about 9.71% lighter. Using the wrong one understates or overstates the metal significantly. If your scale reads grams, use grams and avoid the question entirely.