Gold Melt Value Calculator
Prices on this page use gold spot at $4,291.00/oz · updated
| Karat | 1 g | 5 g | 10 g | 1 dwt | 10 dwt | 1 ozt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10k | $57.48 | $287.41 | $574.83 | $89.40 | $893.96 | $1,787.92 |
| 14k | $80.48 | $402.38 | $804.76 | $125.15 | $1,251.54 | $2,503.08 |
| 18k | $103.47 | $517.35 | $1,034.69 | $160.91 | $1,609.12 | $3,218.25 |
| 22k | $126.46 | $632.31 | $1,264.62 | $196.67 | $1,966.71 | $3,933.42 |
| 24k | $137.82 | $689.10 | $1,378.21 | $214.34 | $2,143.35 | $4,286.71 |
Quick answer: Gold melt value = weight × purity × spot price, with everything in matching units. At today's spot price of $4,291.00 per troy ounce ($137.96 per gram, as of September 23, 2026), a gram of 14k gold holds $80.48 of gold, and a gram of 18k holds $103.47. Enter any weight and karat above, or read the table if JavaScript is off.
How the math works
Melt value answers one question: what is the pure gold inside this item worth at today's wholesale price? The calculation has three inputs.
1. Weight, in a unit that matches the price. Spot is quoted per troy ounce. Convert your weight to troy ounces, or convert the price to grams or pennyweights. Our calculator does either. The conversions:
- 1 troy ounce = 31.1035 g = 20 dwt
- 1 dwt = 1.5552 g
- 1 gram = 0.03215 troy oz
2. Purity, as a decimal. Karat ÷ 24 gives the gold fraction: 10k = 0.417, 14k = 0.583, 18k = 0.750, 22k = 0.917, 24k ≈ 0.999. If an item carries a fineness stamp like 585 or 750, divide by 1,000 instead.
3. The spot price. We use the live spot figure shown above, updated about once a minute while this page is open.
Put together:
melt value = weight in grams × (karat ÷ 24) × spot price per gram
For a 7-gram 14k chain: 7 × 0.583 × $137.96 = $563.33.
The calculator does nothing more mysterious than that. It saves the unit conversions and removes the chance of using the wrong ounce.
Worked examples
1. A 14k bracelet weighing 15.4 grams. 15.4 × 0.583 = 8.98 g of gold × $137.96 = $1,239.33.
2. An 18k ring weighed at 4.2 dwt. 4.2 dwt × 1.5552 = 6.53 g × 0.750 = 4.90 g of gold = $675.65.
3. A 22k pendant weighing 0.35 troy ounces. 0.35 ozt × 0.917 = 0.321 ozt of gold × $4,291.00 = $1,376.70.
4. A lot of 10k class-ring gold weighing 38 grams. 38 × 0.417 = 15.85 g of gold = $2,184.35.
What buyers actually pay
Selling gold?
Your melt value is the ceiling, not an offer. Refiners, usually with a minimum lot, often pay 90% or more of melt; mail-in buyers roughly 70–90%; local buyers and jewelers roughly 60–85%; pawn shops often well under that. These are typical trade ranges, not quotes.
Buying instead?
You'll pay above spot How buying gold bullion works →
The gap between melt value and an offer isn't necessarily unfair. Every buyer between you and the refinery has costs: testing, insurance, shipping, refining charges (which are higher on small lots), and a margin. What varies enormously is how much each buyer takes. That's why the single most useful thing you can do is get more than one offer and compare each one as a percentage of the melt value shown here.
Two habits make that comparison fair:
- Ask what karat they're paying on, and whether they're using the karat stamp or their own test.
- Ask what weight they recorded, in which unit. A buyer weighing in pennyweights and quoting per gram, or the reverse, can make an offer look better or worse than it is. See gold price per pennyweight.
Finding the karat when you're not sure
The calculator needs a purity. If you don't know it, look for a stamp:
- Rings: inside the band, often near the back.
- Chains and bracelets: on the clasp, the jump ring beside it, or a small tag.
- Earrings: on the post or the back.
- Pendants: on the bail, the loop the chain passes through.
A magnifier helps, because stamps are tiny and wear down. Common marks: 10K/417, 14K/585, 18K/750, 22K/916, 24K/999. Marks like GF, GP, HGE, RGP or 1/20 mean gold-filled or plated, and melt value doesn't apply to those. Unmarked pieces aren't necessarily fake, since older and handmade items often have no stamp, but a buyer will need to test them. Our karat pages explain each stamp in detail: 10k · 14k · 18k · 22k · 24k.
When melt value is the wrong number
Melt value is right for broken chains, single earrings, dated or damaged jewelry, and generic bullion. It's the wrong frame for:
- Signed designer jewelry and luxury watches, which resell as objects.
- Antique and estate pieces, where age and craftsmanship carry value.
- Rare coins, where the date and condition can far outweigh the gold. See our coin pages below.
- Pieces with valuable stones. Get the stones appraised before anything is melted.
Related calculators and pages
Scrap gold calculator: a mixed lot, line by line · Gold coin melt value calculator · Gold price per gram · Per pennyweight · Coins: Gold Eagle · Krugerrand · Buffalo · Maple Leaf · Double Eagle
FAQ
How do I calculate the melt value of gold?
Multiply the weight in grams by the karat fraction (karat ÷ 24) and by the spot price per gram. Today the pure-gold price is $137.96 per gram.
Is melt value what a gold buyer will pay?
No. It's the most the gold is worth as metal. Buyers pay a percentage of it, and typical ranges are shown in the box above.
Does the calculator account for stones?
No. Weigh only the gold. If you can't remove the stones, estimate their weight and subtract it, or ask a jeweler to weigh them.
What spot price does the calculator use?
The live spot price at the top of this page, $4,291.00 per troy ounce as of September 23, 2026.
Can I use this for gold coins?
Yes, if you know the coin's gold content. For the common bullion coins, the gold coin melt value calculator already has the weights built in.
Data sources: Spot price via api.gold-api.com · COMEX futures (GC=F) via Yahoo Finance. Prices are for informational purposes only and may be delayed. Figures on this page were generated . Gold is quoted in US dollars per troy ounce.