Scrap Gold Calculator
Work out what the gold in a ring, chain or coin is worth at today’s spot price — by karat, in grams, ounces, troy ounces or pennyweight.
Scrap gold is worth $81.94 per gram for 14K, $105.05 per gram for 18K and $139.93 per gram for 24K at melt value as of 5:01 PM ET on September 22, 2026, based on a gold spot price of $4,356.65 per troy ounce.
- Weight in grams
- 5.00 g
- Purity
- 58.5%
- Pure gold content
- 2.925 g · 0.0940 ozt
- Gold spot / troy oz
- $4,356.65
- Typical dealer offer
- $348.25 – $389.22
Melt value is the metal content at spot. Refiners and dealers typically pay 85–95% of melt for scrap; branded jewelry, coins and antiques can be worth more than melt.
How scrap gold value is calculated
Karat tells you how much of the piece is actually gold: 24K is essentially pure, 18K is 75%, 14K is 58.5% and 10K is 41.7%. Multiply the weight by that purity to get the pure gold content, then by the live spot price per gram (spot per troy ounce ÷ 31.1035). That figure is the melt value.
What a buyer will actually pay
Refiners and scrap buyers price below melt to cover assay, refining and margin — typically 85–95% for gold. Get the weight on a jeweler’s or kitchen scale in grams for the most accurate result, and check for a karat stamp (585 = 14K, 750 = 18K). Coins and branded pieces can be worth more than their metal.
How it’s calculated
Melt value = weight in grams × purity (karat ÷ 24) × (gold spot per troy ounce ÷ 31.1035).
Prices are live spot from Metals.dev; dealer bid and ask from Texas Precious Metals; crypto from CoinGecko. Every figure on this page is timestamped and nothing is estimated when a feed is unavailable.
Frequently asked questions
How much is 14K gold worth per gram?
14K gold is 58.5% pure, so its melt value per gram is the gold spot price per troy ounce divided by 31.1035 and multiplied by 0.585. The calculator above shows the live figure.
What is melt value?
Melt value is the market value of the pure metal in an item at the current spot price, ignoring craftsmanship, brand or collectability. It is the ceiling a scrap buyer works down from.
How much below melt do scrap buyers pay?
Refiners and scrap dealers typically pay 85–95% of melt value for gold to cover assay, refining and margin. Pawn shops and mall kiosks often pay considerably less.
What do the stamps 585, 750 and 916 mean?
They are fineness marks in parts per thousand: 585 is 14K, 750 is 18K, 916 is 22K and 999 is 24K. 417 is 10K and 375 is 9K.
All calculations use live market prices and are estimates. Actual dealer prices, premiums and refining charges vary. Nothing on this page is investment advice.