Estimate melt value before you sell
Scrap gold is usually bought for its metal content, not for its original retail markup, design labor, or sentimental history. A broken chain, single earring, damaged ring, dental alloy, or tangled lot of old jewelry can still contain real gold, and refiners price that gold from three core facts: how much the item weighs, how pure the gold is, and what the market is paying for gold right now. This calculator turns those inputs into a quick melt-value estimate so you can approach a jeweler, pawn shop, cash-for-gold counter, or refiner with a realistic starting number instead of guessing.
The output is not the same thing as a guaranteed offer. Melt value is the theoretical value of the pure gold content at the spot price you enter. Buyers often pay less than full melt because they still need to sort lots, remove stones, assay the metal, absorb losses from solder and non-gold parts, hedge price swings, and earn a margin. That is why this page shows the full melt estimate and also example payout ranges at 90 percent and 80 percent of melt. Those example ranges are useful for comparison, especially when you are checking whether an offer is competitive or unusually low.
This tool is most helpful when you have a weight from a scale, a karat stamp or test result, and a current spot price from a reputable market source. It is also useful when you are separating a mixed scrap lot into 10k, 14k, 18k, or 24k groups and want to know whether it is worth selling now or waiting for a different market level. In short, the calculator helps you translate jewelry terms into metal-value terms.
How to use the calculator well
Start by deciding what you want the result to answer. Most people want one of two things: either a quick estimate of what the gold is worth as metal, or a reference point for evaluating a buyer's offer. Once that goal is clear, the form is straightforward.
- Weigh the item or lot and enter the number in the Weight field.
- Choose the correct Weight unit. The form accepts grams or troy ounces.
- Enter the Purity in karats. This is usually the stamp on the jewelry or the result of an acid or XRF test.
- Enter the current Gold Price per Ounce. Gold is normally quoted per troy ounce, not per regular household ounce.
- Press Estimate to calculate the melt value, the purity fraction, and example payout ranges.
If you are comparing more than one item, run the calculator separately for each purity level instead of averaging them together. A mixed bag of 10k and 18k scrap is clearer and more accurate when split into separate batches. That also makes it easier to see which part of the lot is driving the value.
The form starts with zeros by design so you do not accidentally read placeholder numbers as real prices. Enter your own figures each time. After the result appears, check that the weight unit, karat, and spot price all match the assumptions you intended to use.
What each input means in plain language
Weight
Weight should represent the gold-bearing material you expect to sell. If a ring still has a gemstone, a watchband includes steel parts, or earrings have heavy backs that are not gold, the total item weight can overstate the real gold content. The calculator does not know what portion of the piece is stone, spring, solder, clasp insert, or other non-gold material, so it assumes the entered weight is eligible for the purity calculation. For the best estimate, remove obvious non-gold parts or at least understand that the result may be high if they remain attached.
Weight unit
Jewelry scales often read in grams, which is convenient because the gold industry commonly converts ounce quotes into a per-gram price. The second option is troy ounces. This matters because precious metals use the troy-ounce system, not the ordinary avoirdupois ounce used for groceries and shipping. One troy ounce equals 31.1035 grams. If someone tells you the gold price is a certain number per ounce, that almost always means per troy ounce.
Purity in karats
Karat tells you what fraction of the item is gold. Pure gold is 24k, so the calculator converts karat to a fraction by dividing by 24. A few common reference points help make the result intuitive:
- 10k = 10 / 24 = 41.67 percent gold
- 14k = 14 / 24 = 58.33 percent gold
- 18k = 18 / 24 = 75 percent gold
- 22k = 22 / 24 = 91.67 percent gold
- 24k = 24 / 24 = 100 percent gold
Stamped purity is useful, but not perfect. Wear, repair work, plating, hollow sections, or false marks can change what a buyer is willing to pay. If you need a tighter estimate for a valuable lot, use a professional assay or XRF reading rather than relying only on the stamp.
Gold price per ounce
This input is the market price of gold per troy ounce. Many people use the current spot price or a near-spot retail quote. The calculator converts that ounce price into a per-gram rate behind the scenes. Because dealer offers are usually below spot, the output also shows two example payout levels. Think of full melt as the metal benchmark and the lower payout rows as realistic negotiating context, not as promises.
Formula and unit conversion
The heart of the calculation is simple: convert the market quote into a price per gram, convert karat into a purity fraction, and multiply by weight. Written directly for this calculator, the melt value formula is:
Here, V is the estimated melt value, Wg is weight in grams, K is the karat number, and Poz is the gold price per troy ounce. The constant 31.1035 converts a troy ounce into grams. If your weight is already in troy ounces, the page converts it into grams first so the same formula can be used consistently.
Example payout estimates are then calculated as percentages of the melt value. On this page, the supporting rows use 90 percent and 80 percent so you can compare an optimistic strong offer with a more conservative offer level. Those percentages are not universal; some buyers may be higher, some lower, and mixed or hard-to-process material may receive a steeper discount.
If you like a more abstract view, every calculator is still a function of inputs. The generic form below is preserved because it is mathematically correct and helps explain what the page is doing at a broad level:
And when you price a mixed lot by grouping separate items or karat classes, the total can be thought of as a weighted sum of parts:
In scrap gold terms, that weighted-sum idea becomes practical when you separate a batch into 10k, 14k, and 18k piles and calculate each pile individually. The final lot value is the sum of those separate melt values.
Worked example with realistic numbers
Suppose you have a broken 14k necklace that weighs 18.5 grams and the current gold price is 2400 dollars per troy ounce. First, convert the ounce quote into a per-gram price: 2400 divided by 31.1035 is about 77.16 dollars per gram of pure gold. Next, convert 14k into a purity fraction: 14 divided by 24 is 0.5833. Finally, multiply weight by price per gram by purity. The result is about 18.5 × 77.16 × 0.5833 = 832.69 dollars in theoretical melt value.
That number is the metal benchmark, not necessarily your cash-in-hand offer. If a buyer paid 90 percent of melt, the offer would be about 749.42 dollars. At 80 percent of melt, the offer would be about 666.15 dollars. Once you see those ranges, the result becomes useful in conversation. If one shop offers far below that range, you know to ask whether stones, solder, non-gold parts, testing uncertainty, or simply a weak payout policy are pulling the offer down.
Comparison table: changing only the weight
The table below keeps purity at 14k and the gold price at 2400 dollars per troy ounce, then changes only the weight. This is a simple way to see how strongly the result responds to the amount of material you actually have.
| Scenario | Weight | Other inputs | Estimated melt value | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | 14.8 g | 14k purity and 2400 dollars per troy ounce | 666.15 dollars | If your item includes stones or non-gold findings, the true recoverable gold weight may be closer to this lower case. |
| Baseline | 18.5 g | 14k purity and 2400 dollars per troy ounce | 832.69 dollars | This is the direct example calculation using the full measured weight. |
| Aggressive | 22.2 g | 14k purity and 2400 dollars per troy ounce | 999.23 dollars | A heavier lot raises value proportionally when purity and market price stay the same. |
That proportional pattern is exactly what you should expect from the formula. Double the gold-bearing weight and the melt value roughly doubles, assuming the karat and market price do not change.
How to interpret the result without overtrusting it
After calculating, read the result in three layers. First, confirm the unit logic. If your scale reported grams, keep the unit on grams. If you entered a troy-ounce weight, make sure it was actually a precious-metals ounce. Second, confirm the purity logic. A 14k stamp means only 58.33 percent of the item is gold, so the result should be far below the value of the same weight at 24k. Third, compare the full melt number with the payout examples. The gap between them is often where real-world offers live.
The result is most useful as a negotiation anchor and a sorting tool. If you are selling several pieces, run the calculator on each group and bring your notes with you. If one buyer offers meaningfully less than your conservative estimate, ask what assumptions they are using. If another buyer comes in near the 90 percent example, that may indicate a stronger offer, especially on clean, assay-friendly material. The goal is not to predict the exact check amount to the penny; it is to understand the math well enough to recognize a fair or unfair quote.
Assumptions, limitations, and common mistakes
No scrap-gold calculator can inspect the jewelry in front of you, and that is the main limitation to keep in mind. The form assumes the weight you enter is relevant gold-bearing weight, the karat is accurate, and the quoted market price is appropriate for the moment you plan to sell. In practice, several details can move the real offer away from the estimate.
- Stones and non-gold parts: gems, steel springs, watch movements, heavy clasps, and other inserts can reduce the recoverable gold weight.
- Hallmark accuracy: stamps are useful, but not infallible. Professional testing can reveal underkarating, plating, or repairs made with lower-purity solder.
- Mixed lots: combining 10k and 18k into one average entry hides what is actually happening. Separate lots by purity whenever possible.
- Market timing: spot prices move throughout the day. A result from the morning may not match a quote from the afternoon.
- Dealer policies: some buyers pay more for larger, cleaner, or pre-sorted lots and less for uncertain or difficult material.
- Rounding: displayed numbers are rounded for readability, so very small differences are normal.
A common mistake is treating plated or filled items as solid gold. Gold-plated jewelry may look rich in color but contain very little recoverable gold. Another frequent mistake is using a kitchen-ounce reading as though it were a troy-ounce reading. If there is any doubt, switch to grams. Grams are usually the safest unit for small jewelry items because the measurement is direct and familiar.
Finally, remember what this calculator does not include: repair value, antique premium, designer resale value, collectible demand, or sentimental importance. Some pieces are worth more intact than melted. If an item has historical, brand, or gemstone value, compare both routes before you sell.
Practical selling tip
Take your estimate with you, but also take the assumptions behind it. Knowing that a 20-gram 18k bracelet contains more pure gold than a 20-gram 10k bracelet is more valuable than memorizing one result. Once you understand the weight, purity, and spot-price relationship, you can evaluate new offers quickly and with more confidence.
Optional mini-game: Assay Window Rush
This arcade mini-game is separate from the calculator, but it teaches the same idea in a more playful way. Click or tap real gold pieces as they pass through the glowing assay window. Heavier pieces and higher karat pieces are worth more, while plated fakes marked GP cost you points. The spot-price meter swings during the run, so timing matters too. If you already entered a gold price above, the game uses that number as its base market level.
Run complete
Your score summary will appear here.
Higher weight, higher purity, and higher gold prices all push melt value upward.
Educational takeaway: the game rewards the same variables used by the calculator's formula. More grams, more purity, and a stronger spot price produce more value.