Enter the weight and karat purity of your gold. Melt value updates instantly using the live spot price, refreshed every 60 seconds.
The melt value of a gold item is the value of its pure gold content at current spot prices — the absolute floor below which no honest buyer should offer. The formula:
Melt Value = (Weight in grams ÷ 31.1035) × Purity decimal × Spot price per troy ounce
Worked example: a 20-gram 14K gold chain at $3,200/oz spot. Step 1 — convert to troy ounces: 20 ÷ 31.1035 = 0.6430 ozt. Step 2 — apply 14K purity: 0.6430 × 0.5833 = 0.3750 pure ozt. Step 3 — multiply by spot: 0.3750 × $3,200 = $1,200.07 melt value. The calculator above does all three steps automatically with live spot updated every 60 seconds.
The karat system divides pure gold into 24 parts. The millesimal fineness system — the numbers stamped on European and international jewelry (585, 750, 916, 999) — expresses purity as parts per thousand. Both systems measure the same thing; the stamps were standardized under the Convention on the Control and Marking of Articles of Precious Metals (Vienna Convention, 1972), signed by 18 countries, which is the international legal authority behind those numbers.
| Karat | Fineness Stamp | Gold % | Pure Gold per Gram | Where It's Standard |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24K | 999 / 9999 | 99.9% | 0.999 g | Investment bars (PAMP, Valcambi), Gold Maple Leaf, Gold Buffalo, Chinese jewelry |
| 22K | 916 | 91.67% | 0.9167 g | American Gold Eagle, Krugerrand, South African coins, Indian jewelry |
| 21K | 875 | 87.5% | 0.875 g | Middle Eastern & Gulf State jewelry; standard in Saudi Arabia, UAE |
| 18K | 750 | 75.0% | 0.750 g | European fine jewelry, luxury watches (Rolex, Patek Philippe), Italian & French jewelry |
| 14K | 585 | 58.33% | 0.5833 g | US jewelry standard — rings, chains, bracelets; the most common karat in American retail |
| 10K | 417 | 41.67% | 0.4167 g | US budget jewelry, class rings; the legal US minimum to be sold as "gold" (FTC 16 CFR §23.4) |
| 9K | 375 | 37.5% | 0.375 g | UK everyday jewelry; legal minimum in the UK and Australia |
The numbers stamped inside a ring or on a clasp are your legal guarantee of purity — if you know how to read them. In the US, a piece marked "14K" can legally contain 13.5K–14.5K gold (±0.5K tolerance under FTC 16 CFR Part 23). A piece marked "14KP" (plumb gold) is exactly 14K or above — the "P" eliminates the downward tolerance. European stamps (585, 750) are more precise and are backed by criminal penalties for misrepresentation in countries with hallmarking laws.
In the United Kingdom, the Hallmarking Act 1973 legally requires any gold article above 1 gram offered for sale to carry an assay office hallmark. The four UK Assay Offices are: the London Assay Office (Goldsmiths' Hall — operating continuously since 1300, making it one of the oldest consumer protection institutions in the world), the Birmingham Assay Office (1773), the Edinburgh Assay Office (1687), and the Sheffield Assay Office (1773). Selling unhallmarked gold in the UK is a criminal offense. A full UK hallmark includes the maker's mark, assay office symbol (a leopard's head for London), millesimal fineness mark, and an optional date letter.
These are legally distinct categories with dramatically different melt values — a distinction that catches many people off guard:
Solid gold (10K–24K): The entire piece is a gold alloy throughout. Full melt value as calculated above. Look for karat or fineness stamps only — no letter suffixes.
Gold-filled (GF): A layer of solid gold alloy mechanically bonded or heat-fused to a base metal core. The FTC requires the gold layer to be at least 1/20 of total weight by mass. A stamp "1/20 14K GF" means 14K gold comprises at least 5% of the piece's total weight. Gold-filled has real but reduced melt value — calculate only the gold layer's mass.
Gold-plated (GP / HGE / GEP): A microscopically thin electroplated gold layer — typically 0.5 to 2.5 microns — over a base metal core. The gold content is negligible; melt value is effectively zero. "Heavy gold electroplate" (HGE) is still just plating.
Gold vermeil (pronounced "ver-MAY"): A sterling silver (92.5%) base with a gold plating of at least 2.5 microns. Has meaningful silver melt value; gold layer is cosmetic. Items must be labeled vermeil to meet FTC standards; "gold over silver" is often vermeil.
Rule of thumb: if the stamp has letters after the karat (GF, GP, HGE, GEP, RGP) — it's not solid gold. A bare karat or fineness stamp with no suffix means solid.
The phrase "acid test" is not a metaphor — it originated literally in goldsmithing. The procedure: a small scratch of the metal is drawn across a black basalt touchstone, then nitric acid of a specific concentration is applied. Base metals dissolve; gold resists. Different acid concentrations test different karats — 10K acid won't attack 14K gold, but 14K acid will dissolve 10K alloy. This practice has been used to authenticate gold since antiquity, and the phrase entered the English language directly from goldsmithing to mean any definitive, conclusive test.
Modern gold dealers use XRF (X-ray fluorescence) analyzers — most commonly the Thermo Fisher Niton XL2 or XL3 series. XRF fires X-rays at the metal surface, reads the fluorescent energy signature of each element, and gives a complete alloy composition in seconds with no damage to the piece. A coin dealer with a serious inventory will have an XRF on the counter. If a buyer won't test an unmarked or suspicious piece before making an offer, walk away.
Melt value is your floor. What you receive depends on who you sell to — and the spread is enormous:
| Buyer Type | Typical % of Melt | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Direct refiners (Garfield Refining, Midwest Refineries) | 90–95% | Best for larger quantities; minimum weights may apply |
| Online gold buyers (APMEX, JM Bullion gold buying) | 88–95% | Prepaid shipping; locked-in price on acceptance |
| Local coin & bullion dealers | 85–93% | Immediate cash; negotiate with melt value in hand |
| Jewelry stores | 70–85% | Lower for small lots; better for pieces with gem resale value |
| Pawn shops | 50–70% | Convenient but expensive in margin terms |
| Cash-for-gold kiosks / mail envelopes | 30–60% | Heavily advertised; worst payout rates |
How to spot a lowball offer instantly: divide what they're offering by your melt value. Example — "$20 per gram for your 14K gold" sounds plausible. At $3,200/oz spot, 14K melt value = $60.10/gram. $20 ÷ $60.10 = 33% of melt. That's pawn shop pricing for a purchase pretending to be fair market. Know your number first.
Dental crowns, bridges, inlays, and implant components are made from high-noble gold alloys — typically 40–90% gold content, equivalent to approximately 10K–22K. The alloys frequently also contain platinum, palladium, and silver, adding further value at refining. Dental gold has no karat stamps (the fabrication process doesn't accommodate them), so XRF testing is the only reliable way to determine composition before selling.
It is estimated that Americans discard over $100 million in dental gold annually through cremation — making dental scrap from estates a significant and frequently overlooked asset. Dental gold refiners typically pay 85–92% of assayed value, and most accept mailed shipments with prepaid return envelopes. Identify and set aside dental work before estate dispersal.
Gold is universally priced in troy ounces (31.1035 grams), not avoirdupois ounces (28.3495 grams). A troy ounce is approximately 10% heavier. The spot price you see everywhere — "$3,200/oz" — is per troy ounce. Buyers who quote "per ounce" mean troy ounce.
Pennyweight (dwt) is the unit most US jewelers use for weighing small pieces. One dwt = 1.55517 grams = exactly 1/20 of a troy ounce. The name comes from the medieval English silver penny, standardized to this mass in the Tower Pound system. A troy ounce = 20 dwt; a troy pound = 240 dwt. Alert: "$95 per dwt" sounds large until you do the math — at $3,200/oz spot, 14K gold = ~$4.84/dwt melt value. Always convert any per-dwt price back to per-gram or per-troy-ounce before comparison. The calculator above accepts grams, troy ounces, pennyweights, and avoirdupois ounces — no manual conversion needed.
Melt values are calculated from live spot prices and are provided for informational purposes only. Actual scrap gold offers will vary by buyer. Nothing on MetalMetric constitutes financial or investment advice. Terms of Use