Gold Melt Value Calculator
Find out what the pure gold in a ring, chain, coin or bar is worth at today's spot price. Type in the weight, pick the karat, add the spot price, and your estimate shows up right below.
Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, by appointment
Live spot prices
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Spot is what one troy ounce of pure metal trades for on the market. It is a reference point, not our offer.
Work out the gold in your piece
Weigh the item, select the karat marked on it, and enter a current spot price. You get the value of the pure gold only.
The spot price changes throughout the trading day. Please enter the figure currently quoted for gold.
Estimated melt value
Enter a weight and a spot price, then press Calculate.
This is an estimate of metal content, not an offer. A purchase offer depends on testing, confirmed purity and weight, market conditions, the buyer's margin, and any collector value.
The math behind gold melt value
Three steps of multiplication, all simple enough to check with a pencil.
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Convert to troy ounces
Spot gold is priced per troy ounce. Grams divided by 31.1035, pennyweight divided by 20, or kitchen ounces times 0.9115 all get you there.
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Strip out the alloy
Multiply by the gold fraction for the karat: 0.4167 for 10K, 0.5833 for 14K, 0.75 for 18K, 0.9167 for 22K and 0.999 for 24K.
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Apply the spot price
Pure troy ounces multiplied by the spot price per troy ounce equals melt value, before testing, refining or dealer costs come out.
Try it by hand
Say you have a 14K bracelet weighing ten grams. That is 0.3215 troy ounce in total, and the gold portion, 58.33% of it, is 0.1875 troy ounce.
If spot gold stood at two thousand dollars an ounce, the gold in that bracelet would come to roughly three hundred seventy-five dollars.
Picking the right weight unit
Gold is weighed in troy units, and a kitchen scale is not. Mixing them up is the number one reason a home estimate comes out too high.
| Unit | Equals | Where you see it |
|---|---|---|
| Troy ounce (ozt) | 31.1035 grams, or 20 pennyweight | Gold coins, bars and the spot price |
| Pennyweight (dwt) | 1.5552 grams | Jewelry trade and scrap gold |
| Gram (g) | 0.0322 troy ounce | Digital pocket scales and small bars |
| Ounce, kitchen (oz) | 28.3495 grams, or 0.9115 troy ounce | Kitchen, shipping and bathroom scales |
A kitchen ounce is not a troy ounce
Kitchen and shipping scales use the everyday ounce of 28.35 grams. The troy ounce is 31.10 grams, almost ten percent heavier. When your scale shows ounces, pick the kitchen ounce setting so the gold is not overcounted.
How much gold each karat holds
These are the fractions the calculator uses. The right column shows the pure gold in ten grams of each karat.
| Karat | Gold share | Pure gold in 10 g |
|---|---|---|
| 10K | 41.67% | 4.17 g |
| 14K | 58.33% | 5.83 g |
| 18K | 75% | 7.50 g |
| 22K | 91.67% | 9.17 g |
| 24K | 99.9% | 9.99 g |
Marks that call for caution
- GF, RGP or HGE. These stand for gold-filled, rolled gold plate and electroplate. Only a thin gold skin covers base metal, so the karat table does not apply.
- No mark anywhere. Antique, resized or imported pieces often have none. Until the karat is confirmed, any result here is a rough guess.
- Other metals mixed in. Steel clasps, springs and solder add weight with no gold, another reason to treat the result as an upper limit.
Karat stamps, including the European number marks like 585 and 750, are explained on our gold jewelry page.
Gold coins skip the scale
Bullion coins and older U.S. gold were minted to a set standard, so the gold content is already known. Multiply the right column by the spot price.
| Coin | Weight | Fineness | Troy oz of gold |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Gold Eagle, 1 oz | 33.931 g | 22K | 1.0000 |
| American Gold Buffalo, 1 oz | 31.108 g | .9999 | 1.0000 |
| South African Krugerrand, 1 oz | 33.93 g | 22K | 1.0000 |
| U.S. Double Eagle, twenty dollars (before 1933) | 33.436 g | 90% | 0.9675 |
| U.S. Eagle, ten dollars (1838 to 1933) | 16.718 g | 90% | 0.4838 |
| U.S. Half Eagle, five dollars (1839 to 1929) | 8.359 g | 90% | 0.2419 |
Melt can undersell some coins
Pre-1933 U.S. gold may be worth more than its gold content thanks to its date, mint mark or condition. Our gold coins page covers that, and the bullion page covers bars and rounds.
What the calculator cannot see
It only knows the numbers you enter. An actual offer also weighs the points listed here.
- The confirmed karat. Marks can be rubbed away, incorrect or absent.
- The net weight. Stones, clasps and other parts that are not gold come out of the total.
- The market at the moment of sale. Spot moves, so it is the figure when you sell that counts.
- Costs and margin. Refining, assaying and running a business all come out of the metal value.
- Collector demand. Some coins, and some signed or antique jewelry, are worth more than their gold.
For what we buy and how an appointment in Denton works, see our page about selling gold.
Want a real offer on your gold?
Call or send a request to set a weekday appointment in Denton. We go over each piece with you and show how we reached the offer before you make up your mind.
Gold calculator questions
Why might a buyer offer less than this number?
The calculator prices pure gold at spot and stops there. A real offer also depends on whether the karat and weight check out, what it costs to refine scrap, and the margin any buyer works on. Collectible coins can land on the other side and be worth more than melt.
Can I weigh a ring with its stones still set?
Yes, but stones add weight without adding gold, so the figure will come out high. Think of that result as the most the gold could be.
What does dwt mean?
It is the abbreviation for pennyweight, which is one twentieth of a troy ounce, or 1.5552 grams. Jewelers and refiners in the U.S. often weigh gold in pennyweight.
Do the numbers I type get sent to you?
No. The calculator runs in your browser and sends us nothing. If you want us to see the gold in person, the evaluation request is near the bottom of this page.
Book a time with us
- Based in
- Denton, TX, serving Denton County
- Hours
- Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, by appointment
- Where we meet
- At our private Denton office, your home or a secure location such as your bank
- Bring
- A photo ID and the items you want us to look at
For privacy and security, we share our office address by phone once your appointment is set.
Our purchase evaluation is an offer to buy. It is not a formal written appraisal for insurance, probate or tax use.
Get a quote
Three quick questions. We call you back on a weekday. Or call now: (940) 209-8220.