1
Convert Weight to Grams
The calculator converts grams, pennyweight, troy ounces, ordinary ounces, pounds, or kilograms into grams so all later calculations use the same weight base.
Gold Melt Value Estimator
Scrap Gold Calculator
Estimate the melt value of scrap gold from weight, karat or hallmark purity, and the current gold spot price. You can also estimate what a buyer's offer is worth as a percentage of melt value.
Gold prices move throughout the day. The live-price button uses a third-party spot-price feed; you can always enter a price manually if the feed is unavailable.
Calculator
Enter Your Gold Details
Manual price
Scrap Gold Basics
What Is Scrap Gold?
Scrap gold is gold-containing material valued mainly for the precious metal it contains rather than for its original use or retail form. Broken chains, mismatched earrings, damaged rings, old dental gold, jewelry settings, watch parts, and other unwanted items may all be treated as scrap when the goal is to recover their gold content.
The key idea is that most gold jewelry is not pure gold. It is usually an alloy containing gold plus other metals. Karat and fineness marks describe how much of that alloy is actually gold. A scrap gold calculator therefore needs three core pieces of information: weight, purity, and the market value of pure gold.
The result is commonly called melt value. Melt value is not the same thing as resale value. A collectible coin, designer bracelet, antique ring, or finished piece may be worth more than its metal content. A damaged or ordinary item, however, may be priced mainly from its recoverable gold.
Formula
How Scrap Gold Value Is Calculated
2
Apply Gold Purity
Total weight is multiplied by the selected purity. For example, traditional 18K gold is 18/24 gold, which equals 75% purity.
3
Apply the Gold Price
The spot price per troy ounce is divided by 31.1034768 to estimate the pure-gold price per gram, then multiplied by the fine-gold weight.
Melt Value Formula
Melt Value = Weight (g) × Purity × (Gold Price ÷ 31.1034768)
The optional buyer-offer estimate then multiplies melt value by the payout percentage you select.
Purity Guide
Gold Karat and Fineness Chart
Karat measures gold purity on a 24-part scale. Fineness expresses purity in parts per thousand. Hallmarks can vary by country and manufacturing standard, so the stamp on an item should be treated as useful evidence rather than a laboratory assay.
| Karat / Mark | Approx. Gold Purity | Common Fineness Mark |
|---|---|---|
| 24K | About 99.9%+ for bullion/jewelry marked 999 | 999 / 999.9 |
| 22K | About 91.67% | 916 / 917 |
| 18K | 75% | 750 |
| 14K | About 58.33% | 583 / 585 |
| 10K | About 41.67% | 416 / 417 |
| 9K | 37.5% | 375 |
Gold Weight Units: Grams, Troy Ounces, and Pennyweight
Precious metals use the troy weight system rather than the ordinary avoirdupois ounce commonly used for food and household weight in the United States. One troy ounce equals exactly 31.1034768 grams. An ordinary avoirdupois ounce is lighter, so entering the wrong type of ounce can noticeably change a scrap gold estimate.
Pennyweight, abbreviated dwt, is another traditional precious-metals unit. One pennyweight equals 1.55517384 grams, and 20 pennyweights make one troy ounce. Some jewelers and gold buyers still quote weights or prices in pennyweight, which is why this calculator includes it directly.
If your scale reads in grams, there is usually no reason to convert the measurement yourself. Enter the weight exactly as displayed and select grams. A scale with finer resolution can improve the estimate for lightweight jewelry, but scale accuracy is only one part of the calculation; purity and the gold price must also be accurate.
Gold Spot Price
Why the Gold Price Changes Your Scrap Value
Gold is traded globally, so its market price changes over time. A piece of jewelry does not contain more or less gold just because the market moves, but the dollar value of that gold changes with the spot price.
This calculator can request a current USD-per-troy-ounce price from a public third-party price service. If that service is unavailable, delayed, blocked by a browser, or returns an unexpected response, the calculator still works with a manual price.
For an important transaction, compare the displayed price with a reliable market source and confirm whether a buyer is using bid, ask, spot, or its own settlement price.
Price-per-gram conversion
Gold markets commonly quote USD per troy ounce. To estimate the pure-gold price per gram:
Price per gram = Price per troy oz ÷ 31.1034768
The calculator performs this conversion automatically and then applies the selected purity.
Melt Value vs. What a Gold Buyer May Offer
Melt value is a theoretical metal-content value. It assumes the entered weight and purity are correct and values the contained pure gold at the entered spot price. A real buyer normally does not have to pay 100% of that amount.
Gold buyers have costs and risks. Material may need to be tested, sorted, shipped, refined, and settled. Stones, springs, clasps, solder, non-gold parts, plating, or filled components may reduce the recoverable gold compared with the gross item weight. A dealer also needs a margin for operating costs and profit.
The payout slider is therefore useful for comparing offers. If melt value is $1,000 and a buyer offers $750, that is a 75% payout. If another buyer offers $850 on the same verified material, that is an 85% payout. Comparing offers as a percentage of the same melt-value estimate can make quotes easier to understand.
Do not assume the highest percentage is automatically the best transaction. Confirm how the item is weighed, how purity is tested, whether stones or non-gold parts are deducted, whether there are shipping or assay fees, and when the market price is locked.
Accuracy
The Calculator Is Only as Accurate as the Inputs
A stamped karat mark, scale reading, and market price are useful starting points, but they do not guarantee the exact recoverable gold content of an item.
Check these before selling
- ✓ Use an accurate scale and confirm the selected weight unit.
- ✓ Look for a karat or fineness hallmark, but verify questionable items.
- ✓ Separate different purities instead of averaging mixed jewelry by eye.
- ✓ Remember that stones and non-gold components can be included in gross weight.
- ✓ Verify the market price used for a large or time-sensitive transaction.
- ✓ Compare multiple buyer offers and ask how each quote was calculated.
Frequently Asked Questions
Scrap Gold Calculator FAQ
How do I calculate the value of scrap gold?
Convert the item's weight to grams, multiply that weight by its gold purity, then multiply the fine-gold weight by the pure-gold price per gram. The calculator performs those steps for you.
What does 14K gold mean?
By the traditional karat definition, 14K means 14 parts gold out of 24 total parts, which is about 58.33% gold. A 585 hallmark indicates 58.5% fineness, so this calculator offers both 14K and 585 choices.
How many grams are in a troy ounce of gold?
One troy ounce equals 31.1034768 grams. Precious-metal prices are commonly quoted per troy ounce, which is different from the ordinary avoirdupois ounce used for many everyday goods.
What is pennyweight in gold?
Pennyweight is abbreviated dwt. One dwt equals 1.55517384 grams, and 20 dwt equal one troy ounce. Some jewelers and precious-metal buyers still use this unit.
Is melt value the same as what a gold buyer will pay?
No. Melt value estimates the underlying gold content at the selected market price. A buyer's actual offer may be lower because of refining, testing, operating costs, risk, and profit margin.
Can a gold hallmark be wrong?
A hallmark is helpful, but damaged, altered, plated, filled, counterfeit, or mixed-material items can make a stamp unreliable for valuation. Professional testing or assay provides stronger evidence when purity is uncertain.
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