Scrap Gold (Karat)
Convert 10K through 24K gold jewelry, dental gold and other scrap to current spot value. Drop any unit — grams, pennyweight, troy oz.
- —0.0000 oz · 58.3%
How scrap gold value works
Karat gold is gold mixed with other metals for hardness. The 'K' number tells you what fraction is gold: 24K is 100%, 18K is 75%, 14K is 58.3%. Multiply the item's weight by the karat fraction to get the pure gold content, then multiply by the gold spot price.
How it works
- 1Weigh your item — grams on a digital scale is most accurate.
- 2Pick the karat from the marked fineness (look for '14K', '585', '18K', '750', etc).
- 3The result is the gross melt value. Most refiners and pawnbrokers pay 70%–90% of this number.
- 4Add multiple rows for mixed karat lots; the sidebar gives a grand total.
Frequently asked questions
FAQWhat does 14K, 18K, 24K mean?
Karat measures gold purity in 24ths. 24K is 100% pure (.999+ fine). 18K is 18/24 = 75% pure. 14K is 14/24 ≈ 58.3% pure. 10K — the US minimum to be marked 'gold' — is 41.7% pure. The rest is alloy (copper, silver, palladium, nickel).
How do I find the karat of my jewelry?
Look for a small stamp — '14K', '585' (= 14K decimal), '750' (= 18K), '375' (= 9K), '999' (= 24K). UK pieces use lion/anchor/crown hallmarks plus a fineness number.
What about gold-filled or gold-plated?
'Gold-filled' has a mechanically bonded gold layer that's usually 5%–10% of total weight (look for GF stamp). 'Gold-plated' has only a microscopic coating. Neither is normally worth refining at home. This calculator assumes solid karat gold.
Why does my buyer pay less than the calculator shows?
Refining costs money and the buyer takes a margin. Typical payouts run 70%–90% of melt for clean material; lower for mixed or low-karat lots. Use this calculator as the ceiling, then negotiate.
What's a pennyweight in gold?
1 pennyweight (dwt) = 1.55517 grams = 1/20 troy ounce. Many US jewelers and dental labs price scrap by the pennyweight. The calculator accepts dwt directly so you don't have to convert.