Scrap Gold Calculator

Reviewed by the Gold Bullion Price Chart Editorial Team · Updated September 23, 2026

Prices on this page use gold spot at $4,291.00/oz · updated September 23, 2026

Scrap gold melt value by karat at today's spot price
Karat	Per dwt	1 g	5 g	10 g	25 g	50 g
10k	$89.40	$57.48	$287.41	$574.83	$1,437.07	$2,874.14
14k	$125.15	$80.48	$402.38	$804.76	$2,011.90	$4,023.80
18k	$160.91	$103.47	$517.35	$1,034.69	$2,586.73	$5,173.46
22k	$196.67	$126.46	$632.31	$1,264.62	$3,161.56	$6,323.11
24k	$214.34	$137.82	$689.10	$1,378.21	$3,445.52	$6,891.04

Quick answer: Most people selling scrap gold have a mixed lot: a 10k class ring, some 14k chains, an 18k earring. Each karat has to be priced separately, then added up. Enter each group as its own line above. At today's price (September 23, 2026), 10k is worth $57.48/g, 14k $80.48/g and 18k $103.47/g in melt value.

Why a scrap lot has to be priced by karat

A buyer doesn't pay one price for "your gold". They sort it by karat, weigh each group, and pay a different rate for each. That's because a gram of 18k contains almost twice the gold of a gram of 10k. Weighing everything together and applying one karat will be wrong, and it's almost always wrong in the buyer's favor.

Sort before you go. At home, with a magnifier, separate your pieces into piles by stamp: 10K/417, 14K/585, 18K/750, and higher. Put unmarked pieces in their own pile. Then weigh each pile and enter it as one line in the calculator. You'll walk in knowing roughly what the lot is worth and what each karat contributes to it. That's the strongest position a seller can be in.

The mixed-lot trap. If a buyer weighs your whole lot together and prices it all as 10k, a lot that is mostly 14k is being paid for about 29% less gold than it contains. Ask them to weigh and price each karat separately, and to write down the weights.

Weighing scrap: grams vs pennyweights, and what to take off

Use one unit. Many US gold buyers weigh in pennyweights (dwt), while most home scales and price sites use grams. The calculator accepts either, line by line. The key is to know which unit the buyer's scale is showing when they state the weight. One dwt is 1.555 g, so a weight quoted in dwt looks about a third smaller than the same weight in grams.

What to remove or deduct before weighing:

Stones. Diamonds and gemstones are weight but not gold. If they're worth keeping, have a jeweler remove them first. Small, low-value stones are often left in and deducted by estimate.
Steel parts. Clasp springs, watch-band pins, earring backs and some findings are steel or base metal.
Non-gold attachments: pearls, beads, cords, enamel and glass.

Hollow and plated pieces. Hollow chains and puffed hearts are real gold but much lighter than they look. Plated and gold-filled items (GP, HGE, GF, RGP) aren't scrap gold at all in the usual sense. Their gold content is too small for most buyers to pay much for.

Dental gold is a special case. It's often high-karat, from about 10k to 22k depending on the alloy, and many refiners accept it. Its karat is rarely stamped, so it has to be tested.

Worked example: pricing a typical lot

Here's a realistic lot and how the calculator handles it:

Line	Karat	Weight	Gold content	Melt value today
Class ring (stone removed)	10k	11.0 g	4.58 g	$632.31
Broken chains	14k	9.5 g	5.54 g	$764.52
Single earrings	14k	2.8 g	1.63 g	$225.33
Old wedding band	18k	4.0 g	3.00 g	$413.88
Lot total		27.3 g	14.75 g	$2,036.04

If that same lot were weighed together and priced entirely as 10k, the melt value would be only $1,569.28. That difference is exactly what sorting protects.

What buyers actually pay

Selling scrap gold?

The lot total is melt value, which is the ceiling, not an offer. Refiners, usually with minimum lot sizes, 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. Typical trade ranges, not quotes.

Buying instead?

You'll pay above spot How buying gold bullion works →

What refiners deduct. A refiner's settlement usually reflects an assay of the melted lot (the actual gold recovered), a refining charge (proportionally larger on small lots), and sometimes a flat assay or handling fee. Small sellers rarely deal with refiners directly for this reason. The fixed charges eat too much of a small lot.

Using the offer slider. The calculator's slider shows what an offer at 60%, 70%, 80% or 90% of melt would pay for your lot. When a buyer quotes you a number, divide it by your lot total to see which percentage they're really offering.

Mail-in services. Legitimate mail-in buyers insure shipments and send an offer before melting. Read the terms. Some pay automatically unless you reject the offer within a short window. Keep photos and your own weights, and choose one that returns rejected items free and insured.

Gold melt value calculator: a single item · Gold price per pennyweight · 10k · 14k · 18k · 22k · Gold coin melt value calculator

FAQ

How much is scrap gold worth per gram?

It depends on the karat: $57.48 for 10k, $80.48 for 14k, $103.47 for 18k and $126.46 for 22k, in melt value as of September 23, 2026. Offers will be a percentage of these figures.

Should I sell my scrap gold all at once?

There's no price advantage to splitting a lot, and larger lots can get better rates. The bigger factor is shopping several buyers, which tends to matter more than timing the market.

What is broken gold worth?

Exactly the same per gram as intact gold of the same karat, as far as melt value goes. Buyers don't pay less for broken chains, only for less gold.

Can I sell gold-plated jewelry as scrap?

Usually not for much. The gold layer on plated items is extremely thin. Some refiners buy plated scrap in bulk, but individual pieces are typically worth very little.

Do I need to remove stones before selling?

If they have value, yes, or have them appraised first. Otherwise, make sure the buyer deducts their weight openly and tells you how much was deducted, rather than estimating it without saying.