Scrap Gold Prices Today
As of October 2, 2026, gold spot is $4,139.24 per troy ounce, which makes a gram of 14K scrap worth $77.85 and a gram of 10K worth $55.49 in melt value. The table prices every karat from 8K to 24K by the gram, pennyweight and troy ounce. A buyer pays a percentage of melt, and the calculator shows what that percentage comes to on your gold.
Scrap gold value by karat
Melt value is the gold a piece contains, priced at spot. A buyer's offer is a percentage of these figures. Linked karats have their own page with a live chart and calculator.
| Karat | Marks | Content | Per gram | Per dwt | Per troy oz |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24K | 999, 24K | 99.9% | $132.95 | $206.76 | $4,135 |
| 22K | 916, 22K | 91.6% | $121.90 | $189.58 | $3,792 |
| 21K | 875, 21K | 87.5% | $116.44 | $181.09 | $3,622 |
| 18K | 750, 18K, 18KT | 75% | $99.81 | $155.22 | $3,104 |
| 14K | 585, 14K, 14KT | 58.5% | $77.85 | $121.07 | $2,421 |
| 12K | 500, 12K | 50% | $66.54 | $103.48 | $2,070 |
| 10K | 417, 10K, 10KT | 41.7% | $55.49 | $86.30 | $1,726 |
| 9K | 375, 9K, 9ct | 37.5% | $49.90 | $77.61 | $1,552 |
| 8K | 333, 8K | 33.3% | $44.32 | $68.92 | $1,378 |
Melt values at the spot price of $4,139.24 per troy ounce, as of October 2, 2026. Scroll the table sideways for the per dwt and per ounce columns.
Scrap gold calculator
Gold spot: $4,139.24/ozPick the karat, enter the weight, then the percentage of melt your buyer pays. 100% is the full melt value.
Melt value
$778.52
10 g of 14K holds 5.85 g of pure gold (0.1881 troy oz, 3.762 dwt).
Offer at 100% of melt
$778.52
The buyer keeps $0.00 of the melt value.
Ask each buyer what percentage of melt they pay and which spot price they use, then enter it above. Melt values use the live gold spot price.
The gold spot price behind every figure
Every value on this page is the spot price times a purity and a weight, so a 2% move in gold moves your scrap value 2% too.
How to read karat stamps
Look inside ring bands, on clasps and on the small tag near a chain's clasp. A loupe or your phone camera's zoom helps. American pieces usually show the karat (14K, 14KT); European and Asian pieces show the fineness in parts per thousand (585). Both mean the same gold content, and the table above lists each karat's marks. A name or logo beside the stamp is usually the maker's mark.
These marks mean a piece isn't solid karat gold, or needs a closer look:
- GP, GEP, HGE, RGP
- Gold plated, gold electroplated, heavy gold electroplate and rolled gold plate. A very thin layer over base metal. Most scrap buyers won't pay for these.
- GF, 1/20 12K GF
- Gold-filled: a thicker gold layer bonded to a base metal core. 1/20 12K GF means a 12K layer that makes up 1/20 of the weight, which works out to 2.5% gold. Some refiners buy it, for far less than solid gold.
- Vermeil, 925 with a gold color
- Gold plating over sterling silver. The silver has scrap value; the gold layer adds almost nothing.
- 14KP, 10KP
- The P stands for plumb, meaning the piece is the full karat. It's valued the same as 14K or 10K.
- No mark
- Older, handmade and repaired pieces often have no stamp, and stamps can be faked. A buyer tests with acid or an XRF reader either way.
How to weigh scrap gold
- 1Use a scale that reads to 0.01 gram. A kitchen scale that reads in whole grams can be a gram out on a light chain. A pocket jewelry scale that reads to 0.01 g costs little and does the job.
- 2Sort by karat and weigh each pile on its own. A buyer pays each karat at its own purity, so 10K, 14K and 18K need separate weights. Put unmarked pieces in their own pile for testing.
- 3Leave out what isn't gold. Stones, pearls and steel parts, such as the springs in some clasps and watch bands, aren't gold. A buyer either removes them or estimates their weight and takes it off.
- 4Know which unit you're reading. Gold buyers quote grams, pennyweights (1.555 g) or troy ounces (31.10 g). A kitchen-scale ounce is 28.35 g, about 9% lighter than a troy ounce.
- 5Check the buyer's scale. Ask to see the reading for each karat. It should match your own within a few hundredths of a gram.
At today's price, one gram of 14K is worth $77.85, so a scale that's a gram out changes the value by that much.
Where the money goes between melt and offer
Melt value is the gold content at spot. A buyer pays less because the gold still has to be turned into cash. Most buyers send scrap to a refiner, which melts and assays it and pays for the gold it recovers, less its fee. Out of what's left the buyer covers testing, staff, rent, shipping and insurance, keeps a margin, and carries the risk that gold falls before the lot is settled.
The gap varies by buyer and by the size of the lot. Ask two or three buyers for their percentage of melt on the same pieces, and which spot price it's based on: a lower spot figure cuts the offer the same way a lower percentage does. Then compare them in the calculator.
Signed designer pieces, antique jewelry and pieces set with good stones can be worth more sold whole than melted, so get those valued as jewelry before selling them for scrap. For buyer types, see where to sell gold; for a quote in pennyweights, the gold price per pennyweight page converts it.
Published by MetalCharts, a free precious metals resource providing real-time prices, interactive charts, educational guides, and portfolio management tools. All market data sourced from COMEX, LBMA, and LME.
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