The current gold spot price per troy ounce, gram, and kilogram — updated every 60 seconds from COMEX futures data.
| Karat | Purity | Price / Gram | Price / Oz | Common Uses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24K | 99.9% | — | — | Bullion bars, coins, some Asian jewelry |
| 22K | 91.7% | — | — | American Gold Eagles, Krugerrands |
| 18K | 75.0% | — | — | Fine jewelry, watches Common |
| 14K | 58.3% | — | — | Most US jewelry, class rings Most Common |
| 10K | 41.7% | — | — | Budget jewelry, older chains Common |
| 9K | 37.5% | — | — | UK & Australian jewelry |
The gold spot price is the current market price for one troy ounce (31.1 grams) of .999 fine gold. It's set by trading on commodity exchanges — primarily COMEX in New York and the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA). When financial media references "the price of gold," this is the number they're quoting.
Spot prices move continuously during market hours (Sunday 6 PM to Friday 5:15 PM Eastern) and pause briefly each weekday evening. The price you see on this page is fetched from live futures data and refreshed every 60 seconds.
While wholesale gold trades in troy ounces, most people encounter gold by the gram — especially when buying or selling jewelry, dental gold, or small bullion pieces. The per-gram price is simply the per-ounce price divided by 31.1035.
For jewelry, the per-gram price must be adjusted for karat (purity). A 14K ring contains 58.3% gold, so its gold content per gram is worth 58.3% of the pure gold per-gram price. The table above calculates this for every common karat in real time.
24K (.999) is the standard for bullion. 22K (.917) is used in coins like American Gold Eagles and South African Krugerrands. 18K (.750) is common in European fine jewelry. 14K (.583) dominates the US jewelry market. 10K (.417) is the legal minimum for gold jewelry in the US and is common in older or budget pieces. Knowing the karat of your gold is the first step to calculating its value — use our scrap gold calculator for an instant result.
Gold prices are influenced by a complex web of factors. Understanding them helps you interpret price movements and make informed decisions about when to buy or sell.
Gold pays no yield, so it competes with interest-bearing assets like Treasury bonds. When the Fed cuts rates (or the market expects cuts), gold becomes relatively more attractive and tends to rise. When rates increase, gold faces headwinds. In 2025, rate cut expectations fueled significant gold price increases.
Gold is widely regarded as an inflation hedge. When the purchasing power of the dollar erodes — whether from monetary policy, fiscal deficits, or supply shocks — investors often rotate into gold to preserve wealth. The weaker the dollar, the higher gold tends to go.
Central banks are among the largest gold buyers in the world. In recent years, the People's Bank of China, the Reserve Bank of India, and others have been aggressively adding to their gold reserves — in part to diversify away from US dollar holdings. This structural demand supports gold prices independent of retail investor sentiment.
Wars, trade conflicts, sanctions, and political instability drive safe-haven demand for gold. The metal has historically spiked during periods of elevated uncertainty — from the 2020 COVID crash to the tariff escalations of 2025.
Gold was fixed at $35/oz under the Bretton Woods system until 1971. After Nixon ended dollar-gold convertibility, the price floated freely. It peaked near $850/oz in January 1980 during the inflation crisis, then spent two decades in a bear market. The 2000s bull run took gold from $250 to $1,920 by 2011. After consolidating for years, gold broke $2,000 in 2020, surged past $3,000 in early 2025, and has continued climbing past $5,000 in 2026 amid rate cuts, central bank demand, and ongoing geopolitical tensions.
The spot price is a wholesale benchmark. When you buy physical gold, you'll pay a premium above spot. This premium covers the cost of mining, refining, minting, distribution, and dealer margins. Premiums vary widely by product type: generic bars and rounds carry the lowest premiums (2–5% over spot), government-issued coins like Eagles and Maples carry moderate premiums (5–10%), and collectible or limited-edition coins can carry 20–50%+ premiums.
When selling, you'll typically receive spot price minus a small margin. The closer you can sell to spot, the better your return. Knowing the exact spot price — which this page provides in real time — gives you leverage in every gold transaction.
Timing matters. A $100/oz move in gold can mean thousands of dollars on a meaningful position. MetalMetric lets you set custom gold price alerts — get notified by email when gold crosses above or below your target. You can also set percentage-change alerts, GSR alerts, and per-item melt value alerts. Available on the Pro and Elite tiers.