How to Use the Gold Value Calculator
- Enter today's 24K gold price in your currency.
- Choose the karat stamped on your piece, from 9K to 24K, or set a custom purity.
- Enter the weight and pick grams, troy ounces, tola or pennyweight.
- Read the melt value, then compare it with the pure gold content and any buyer's offer.
Look up today's gold spot price from a bank, bullion dealer or financial news site, then enter it. Choose whether that figure is a price per troy ounce, per gram, per kilogram or per tola.
Pick the karat stamped on your item, or select custom purity and type the fineness, such as 58.5 for a 585 stamp. Then enter the weight and choose its weight unit from the short list.
The gold value calculator shows the pure gold content and the melt value at once. It does not fetch live prices, so the answer is only ever as current as the price you typed in.
How Gold Value Is Calculated
The gold value formula used here has three steps. Purity is karat divided by 24, pure gold equals weight in grams times purity, and melt value equals pure gold times the 24K price per gram.
Pure gold (g) = weight in grams × purity
Melt value = pure gold (g) × price per gram of 24K gold
Price per gram = price per troy ounce ÷ 31.1034768
Most quotes are a price per troy ounce, so the calculator first divides it by 31.1034768 grams. That step converts the ounce quote into the 24K price for exactly one gram of pure, unalloyed gold.
Every weight you enter is converted to grams before multiplying, and the karat table below the result repeats the calculation for 24K through 9K. That lets you compare items of different purity side by side.
Worked Example: An 18K Bracelet
Take an 18K bracelet weighing 10 grams on a day when gold trades at $4,500 an ounce. The price per gram is $4,500 divided by 31.1034768, which is $144.68 for one gram of 24K gold.
The bracelet is 18 divided by 24, or 75% gold, so it holds 7.5 grams of pure gold. Its melt value is 7.5 times $144.68, which gives $1,085.09 as the final result shown on screen.
A buyer paying 80% of melt would offer $868.07. One 22K tola at the same price contains 10.692 grams of pure gold, worth $1,546.88, which shows how regional units can easily change the final answer.
| Item | Weight | Purity | Pure gold | Melt value at $4,500/oz t |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18K bracelet | 10 g | 75% | 7.5 g | $1,085.09 |
| Same bracelet, 80% offer | 10 g | 75% | 7.5 g | $868.07 |
| 22K, one tola | 11.6638 g | 91.67% | 10.692 g | $1,546.88 |
Gold Karats, Purity and Hallmarks
| Karat | Purity | Common stamp |
|---|---|---|
| 24K | 99.9% or more | 999, 9999 |
| 22K | 91.67% | 916 |
| 21K | 87.5% | 875 |
| 18K | 75% | 750 |
| 14K | 58.33% | 585 |
| 10K | 41.67% | 417 |
| 9K | 37.5% | 375 |
Karats measure purity on a 24-part scale, so 24K is essentially pure gold while lower karats are an alloy with silver, copper or zinc. Extra alloy metals add hardness and durability for everyday jewelry wear.
Many pieces carry a millesimal fineness hallmark instead of a karat. A 750 mark means 18K, 916 means 22K, and a 585 stamp means 14K gold, so divide the stamp by 10 for a percentage.
The calculator uses karat divided by 24, so 14K becomes 58.33% while a 585 stamp is 58.5%. For an exact match, choose custom purity. In the United States, 10K gold is the lowest karat sold.
Troy Ounces, Grams, Tola and Pennyweight
Gold is priced by the troy ounce of 31.1034768 grams, about 10% heavier than the avoirdupois ounce of 28.35 grams used for food. Mixing up these two units is a very common and costly mistake.
A troy ounce is 480 grains. The tola, used for gold in South Asia and the Gulf, is 180 grains or 11.6638038 grams, and a kilogram is 1,000 grams, as the calculator's unit list shows.
A pennyweight, written dwt, is 1/20 of a troy ounce or 1.55517384 grams, and many jewelers and refiners still routinely quote their scrap prices in it. The NIST precious metals conversion table lists these factors.
Selling Gold: Melt Value Versus the Offer
Melt value is the worth of the gold content only. Every gold buyer pays less to cover testing, refining and profit, and offers for scrap gold vary widely between pawn shops, jewelers and specialist refiners.
Gemstones, clasps, springs and solder add weight but no gold, so remove them where possible or expect a deduction. Weigh items at home on a jeweler's scale that reads to 0.01 grams before you visit.
Ask several quotes, insist the buyer weighs your gold in front of you on a certified scale, and type their percentage into the buyer box. Refiners settle large lots by assay, which can differ slightly.
Limits, Tax and Collectible Pieces
The result depends entirely on the price, purity and weight you enter. The tool does not test your metal, so an unmarked or plated item needs professional testing before any melt figure becomes truly meaningful.
In Canada, sales tax does not apply to investment-grade bullion of 99.5% purity or more, according to CRA GST/HST guidance. Dealers quote their own separate buy and sell prices for most gold coins and bars.
Antique, designer or collectible pieces can be worth more than their gold. Treat this result as an estimate of melt value, not an appraisal, and check live prices once again before you buy or sell.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate the value of my gold?
Multiply the weight in grams by the purity, which is karat divided by 24, and by the price per gram of pure gold. The price per gram equals the price per troy ounce divided by 31.1035.
How much is 18K gold worth per gram?
Multiply the 24K price per gram by 75%. At $4,500 per troy ounce, pure gold is $144.68 a gram, so 18K gold is worth about $108.51 per gram before any buyer deductions.
How do I know what karat my gold is?
Look for a stamp inside a ring band or near a clasp. Marks such as 10K, 14K or 18K give the karat directly, while numbers such as 417, 585 or 750 show purity in parts per thousand.
How many grams are in a tola?
One tola is 11.6638 grams, which equals 180 grains. It is the traditional unit for gold in India, Pakistan, Nepal and the Gulf states, and the calculator accepts it for both price and weight.
Is a troy ounce the same as a regular ounce?
No. A troy ounce is 31.1035 grams, while a regular avoirdupois ounce is 28.3495 grams. Gold, silver and platinum prices are always quoted per troy ounce, so check the unit before converting.
Why do gold buyers pay less than melt value?
Buyers deduct their costs for testing, refining, shipping and profit. Payouts differ widely between pawn shops, jewelers and specialist refiners, so compare several written offers against the melt value before you sell.