Free tool · Gold jewelry
Scrap Gold Calculator
Add up a mixed lot of gold jewelry by karat and weight. See how much pure gold you have, what it is worth at today's price, and whether an offer is fair.
Loading the gold price…
Your gold, one line per karat
Sort pieces by their stamp and weigh each pile. Leave out anything marked GF, GP, HGE or 925.
Item 1
Enter a weight to see this item's value.
That mark means gold-filled or gold-plated, not solid gold. It holds little gold, so leave it out of the lot.
925 and sterling mean silver, not gold. Use the sterling silver calculator for it.
Gold content has to be between 0 and 100%.
Melt value of your lot
$0.00
- Pure gold
- 0.00 g
- In troy ounces
- 0.000 ozt
- Total weight entered
- 0.00 g
Melt value is the gold alone at the spot price. It is not an offer; buyers pay a share of it.
What a buyer might pay
At 80% of melt, you would get
$0.00
At 80% to 85%, the rates most buyers we checked post for jewelry: $0.00 to $0.00.
You set the slider; it is not a prediction. JM Bullion states a minimum of 80% of melt on gold jewelry, and two shops in our directory post85% or "up to" 85%. Small lots often get less. Details and sources are below.
Is my offer fair?
For the same items you entered above.
Enter an offer to compare it with melt value.
We show it as a percentage of melt and tell you how it compares with the rates buyers post.
Breakdown by karat
Ask the buyer to weigh and price each karat separately, then compare line by line.
| Karat | Weight | Pure gold | Melt value |
|---|---|---|---|
| No weights entered yet. | |||
| Total | 0.00 g | 0.00 g | $0.00 |
How scrap gold is valued
A buyer works out how much pure gold is in your pieces, then prices it at the spot price. The math: weight in grams × gold content ÷ 31.1035 = troy ounces of pure gold. Multiply by spot for the melt value.
Example: 10 grams of 14K holds 5.83 grams of pure gold, or 0.1875 troy ounces. At $4,000 an ounce, that is $750.18 of melt value. Gold is priced by the troy ounce (31.10 g), not the kitchen ounce (28.35 g). Jewelers often weigh in pennyweight: 1 dwt is 1.555 g, and 20 dwt make a troy ounce.
Sort by karat before you weigh
Look inside ring bands and near clasps for a stamp. Make one pile per karat and weigh each pile on a scale that reads to 0.1 gram. Enter each pile as its own line.
| Stamp | Karat | Gold content |
|---|---|---|
| 10K or 417 | 10K | 41.7% |
| 14K, 583 or 585 | 14K | 58.3% (585 is 58.5%) |
| 18K or 750 | 18K | 75.0% |
| 22K or 916 | 22K | 91.7% |
| 24K or 999 | 24K | 99.9% |
| 375 | 9K (UK and others) | 37.5%, use Other % |
| 333 | 8K (Germany and others) | 33.3%, use Other % |
Federal law lets a stamped piece fall short of its mark by at most 3 parts per thousand (7 with solder). A stamp is still not proof; fakes get stamped too, so expect a test.
Marks that mean "not solid gold"
These pieces are a gold layer over brass or another base metal. Do not enter them as karat gold.
- GF or Gold Filled. The gold layer is at least 1/20 of the metal's weight under the FTC's jewelry rules. A bracelet marked 1/20 12K GF is about 2.5% gold.
- RGP or Rolled Gold Plate. A bonded layer that can be as little as 1/40 of the metal's weight.
- GP, GEP or HGE. Gold plate can be bonded or electroplated. GEP and HGE mean electroplate, with FTC minimums of 0.175 and 2.5 microns. A micron is a thousandth of a millimeter.
- 925 or Sterling. Silver, not gold. Use the sterling silver calculator.
The calculator flags these marks if you type them in a description. A magnet helps you sort too. Gold is not magnetic, so if a magnet grabs a chain, there is steel or iron under the finish. Test the links, not the clasp, which can hide a steel spring. A magnet that does not stick proves nothing; brass and copper do not stick either.
Stones and testing
You are paid for gold, not for what is set in it. Take out stones you want to keep and weigh the metal without them. If a stone could be worth something, have it looked at before the piece is sold for melt.
Expect the shop to test each pile with acid on a touchstone, an electronic tester or an XRF analyzer. Watch it done. Ask for the weight, karat and payout rate for each pile in writing.
Why offers come in under melt
A shop that buys scrap has to melt, assay and refine it, or sell it to a refiner that does. Both cost money, and the shop keeps a margin. Small lots often get a lower rate than large ones. Here is what some buyers post for gold jewelry:
| Buyer | Posted rate | Terms |
|---|---|---|
| JM Bullion (online, mail-in) | At least 80% of melt | Its stated minimum |
| Jewelry & Coin Exchange, Middleburg Heights, OH | 85% of melt | Posted on its website |
| Wilkes Barre Gold, Wilkes-Barre, PA | Up to 85% of melt | "Depending on volume" |
| Blackthorn Gold, Boca Raton, FL | Up to 93% of melt | For bullion and high-karat volume; smaller lots may differ |
Rates checked October 2026. "Up to" is a ceiling, not a promise. In a 2010 Consumer Reports test, mail-in companies offered 11% to 29% of market value for 18K jewelry that jewelers and local stores paid upwards of 70% for.
Next steps
See the per-gram price for each karat on the gold price per gram page. Gold coins go in thegold coin melt value calculator or the coin offer checker. Then compare coin dealers near you and read how to sell a coin collection.
Questions
How do I calculate the value of scrap gold?
Multiply the weight in grams by the gold content (0.583 for 14K), then divide by 31.1035 to get troy ounces of pure gold. Multiply that by the spot price. Ten grams of 14K at $4,000 an ounce is about $750 of melt value.
What percentage of melt value do gold buyers pay?
There is no standard rate. JM Bullion states a minimum of 80% of melt for gold jewelry. One shop in our directory posts 85%, and another posts up to 85% depending on volume. Get two or three quotes and ask each buyer for the rate and any fees.
Is gold-filled jewelry worth anything for scrap?
Very little. Gold-filled means the gold layer is at least 1/20 of the metal's weight, so a piece marked 1/20 12K GF is about 2.5% gold. Plated pieces marked GP, GEP or HGE usually hold far less.
How many grams are in a pennyweight?
One pennyweight (dwt) is 1.555 grams, and 20 pennyweights make one troy ounce of 31.1035 grams. A kitchen ounce is lighter, 28.35 grams, so pick the unit your scale actually shows.
Does a magnet test tell me if gold is real?
Only partly. Gold is not magnetic, so a piece a magnet grabs is not solid gold. Brass, copper and plated pieces don't stick either, so a piece that passes still needs a real test.
Should I take the stones out before selling gold?
If you can, yes. Buyers pay for gold weight only and will deduct for stones left in. Have any stone you think is valuable looked at before the piece is sold for melt.
Sources: FTC Jewelry Guides, 16 CFR 23.3 · 15 U.S.C. 295 (gold fineness tolerances) · NIST SP 811, Appendix B.8 · Wikipedia: Fineness · JM Bullion: jewelry payout · Jewelry & Coin Exchange: posted buy prices · Wilkes Barre Gold: current buying prices · Blackthorn Gold: payout disclosure · NBC10 Philadelphia: Consumer Reports gold-buyer test (2010). Updated 2026-10-09.