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Gold Melt Value Calculator
Enter your gold’s weight and karat below to get its melt value in seconds, calculated from today’s live spot price. No signup, no email required, and every number the calculator produces is built from a formula shown further down this page, not a hidden estimate.
Gold Melt Value Calculator
Enter your gold’s weight and karat. Get the melt value in seconds, based on today’s live spot price.
Buyers pay a share of melt value, from about 40% at pawn shops to about 93% at mail-in refiners. See what each buyer type pays below.
Source: GoldAPI.io spot price
How to Use This Gold Melt Value Calculator
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Weigh Your Gold
Use a digital scale accurate to at least 0.1 grams, and weigh in grams whenever possible since it’s the most precise common unit. If your scale reads in troy ounces or pennyweight instead, select the matching unit from the dropdown rather than converting by hand.
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Find the Karat Stamp
Check the inside of a ring band, a chain’s clasp, or the back of a pendant. No visible stamp doesn’t mean no gold. A jeweler can confirm purity with an acid test for around $5 to $10.
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Get Your Gold Melt Value
Enter the weight, select the karat, and press Calculate. The result is melt value: the raw gold content priced at today’s live rate, not what a buyer will actually offer.
Gold Hallmark Reference
Gold Hallmark Reference
Most solid gold jewelry sold in the US carries a karat or fineness stamp, although federal law doesn’t require one. Each stamp maps to a specific purity. Here is what each stamp means and what it is worth at today’s live gold price:
| Karat / stamp | Gold content | Per gram | Per pennyweight | Common use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10K / 417 | 41.7% | $57.32 | $89.15 | Budget and children's jewelry |
| 14K / 585 | 58.3% | $80.25 | $124.81 | Most US rings, chains, and everyday jewelry |
| 18K / 750 | 75.0% | $103.18 | $160.46 | Fine and European jewelry |
| 22K / 916 | 91.7% | $126.11 | $196.12 | South Asian jewelry, some coins |
| 24K / 999 | 99.9%+ | $137.57 | $213.95 | Bullion bars and coins |
The 585 stamp itself certifies 58.3% purity by international hallmark convention. The calculator above uses the exact 14/24 fraction (58.3%) instead of the rounded hallmark figure, since it’s marginally more precise on larger weights. The homepage covers why both numbers exist in full.
GP (gold plated), GF (gold filled), and RGP (rolled gold plate) stamps mean the piece isn’t solid gold and can’t be valued with this calculator, because only a thin layer is gold. Use the 14K gold-filled price guide instead. For the complete US hallmark reference, including how to spot these non-solid markings, see the full hallmark guide.
Common Gold Weights and Their Melt Value
Every weight below is calculated at today’s live spot price, across all four common karats, so you can check a typical piece without touching the calculator. A typical wedding band runs 3 to 7 grams. A chain necklace runs 5 to 30 grams depending on length and thickness. Enter your exact weight into the calculator above for a figure that matches today’s actual spot price, and see the ring and chain guides for typical weights by item type.
| Weight | In pennyweight | 14K melt value |
|---|---|---|
| 1 gram | 0.64 dwt | $80.25 |
| 2 grams | 1.29 dwt | $160.50 |
| 3 grams | 1.93 dwt | $240.76 |
| 5 grams | 3.22 dwt | $401.26 |
| 7 grams | 4.50 dwt | $561.76 |
| 10 grams | 6.43 dwt | $802.52 |
| 15 grams | 9.65 dwt | $1,203.78 |
| 20 grams | 12.86 dwt | $1,605.04 |
| 25 grams | 16.08 dwt | $2,006.30 |
| 30 grams | 19.29 dwt | $2,407.55 |
| 50 grams | 32.15 dwt | $4,012.59 |
What Is Gold Melt Value?
Melt value is the dollar value of the pure gold content inside a piece, priced at today’s spot rate, calculated as weight × purity × spot price per gram. It’s what the piece would be worth if melted down and refined to pure gold today. It isn’t the retail price, the resale price, or what you originally paid.
For the complete explanation, including melt value versus retail and resale value, see what gold melt value is.
What Different Buyers Actually Pay
Melt value is your negotiating floor, not your expected payout. Real buyers pay a percentage of it, and the percentage varies significantly by buyer type.
- Pawn shops: 40 to 65 percent of melt value. Fast and convenient, but the lowest payout. Use only if you need cash immediately.
- Local jewelers buying scrap: 55 to 75 percent of melt value. Better than a pawn shop, though it varies widely by shop.
- Dedicated gold buying shops: 70 to 85 percent of melt value. Local competition tends to keep rates higher.
- Mail-in online refiners: 85 to 93 percent of melt value. The strongest rates for private sellers, at the cost of waiting 5 to 10 business days.
Get at least three quotes before selling anything. On a $500 piece, the gap between a pawn shop and a mail-in refiner can easily run $150 to $200 in your pocket. For the full negotiating playbook, see how to sell 14K gold for the best price.
Grams, Troy Ounces, and Pennyweight
Gold buyers work in grams. Spot prices are quoted in troy ounces. Some US jewelers quote in pennyweight (dwt) instead. This calculator handles all three.
- 1 troy ounce = 31.1035 grams
- 1 pennyweight (dwt) = 1.55517 grams
- 1 gram = 0.643 pennyweight
Always confirm which unit a buyer is quoting before comparing offers. A quote in pennyweight produces a smaller number for the same weight than a quote in grams, and less careful buyers sometimes lean on that difference without clarifying which unit they mean.
Does Gold Condition Affect Melt Value?
No. A broken chain, a bent ring, and a scratched bracelet all carry the same melt value as a flawless piece of identical weight and karat. Buyers melt everything down regardless of condition, so only weight and purity determine the number.
The one real exception is gemstones. A piece with a meaningful diamond or other stone should be appraised separately before selling as scrap. A 1-carat diamond alone can be worth $2,000 to $6,000, value that melting the piece down destroys entirely
How to Weigh Gold at Home
A digital scale accurate to 0.1 grams, available for $12 to $25, is accurate enough for this calculator. Zero the scale before placing gold on it, weigh on a hard flat surface, and use grams rather than ounces or carats. For scale recommendations and full calibration steps, see how to weigh gold at home.
Disclaimer: Melt values shown by this calculator are based on spot price data from GoldAPI.io. They reflect the raw gold content value only and do not include dealer premiums, fabrication costs, retail markups, or refining fees. Actual buy and sell prices will differ. This calculator is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice.
Find out what your pieces are worth before visiting any buyer. Know your melt value before you visit a buyer, so you can spot a low offer.
Calculate Melt Value →Common Questions