Gold Value by Karat: What Each Purity Is Worth Today
$133.02 per gram of 24K gold
18K $99.86 · 14K $77.67 · 10K $55.48 per gram
Gold spot $4,141.50/oz · updated
Quick answer: At today's live price, a gram of 24K gold carries $133.02 of melt value, 22K carries $122.06, 18K carries $99.86, 14K carries $77.67 and 10K carries $55.48. The karat number tells you how much of the metal is gold, so the value moves in step with it.
| Karat | Stamp | Gold | Per gram | Per 10 g | Per dwt | Per troy oz |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10K | 417 | 41.7% | $55.48 | $554.80 | $86.28 | $1,725.62 |
| 14K | 585 | 58.3% | $77.67 | $776.72 | $120.79 | $2,415.88 |
| 18K | 750 | 75.0% | $99.86 | $998.64 | $155.31 | $3,106.12 |
| 22K | 916 | 91.7% | $122.06 | $1,220.56 | $189.82 | $3,796.38 |
| 24K | 999 | 99.9% | $133.02 | $1,330.19 | $206.87 | $4,137.36 |
The table above is the whole idea in one place: every row uses the same spot price, and only the purity changes. Read across a row to move between grams, pennyweights and troy ounces. Read down a column to see what each step up in karat adds. Nothing in it includes labor, design, a brand name or a dealer's margin. It is the value of the gold itself.
How karat turns into a percentage
Karat is a count out of 24. Pure gold is 24 parts out of 24. A piece marked 18K has 18 parts gold and 6 parts of other metals, which works out to 75 percent. The rest of the arithmetic is just division.
| Karat | Parts gold | Pure gold share | Value of 1 g today |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10K | 10 of 24 | 41.7% | $55.48 |
| 14K | 14 of 24 | 58.3% | $77.67 |
| 18K | 18 of 24 | 75.0% | $99.86 |
| 22K | 22 of 24 | 91.7% | $122.06 |
| 24K | 24 of 24 | 99.9% or better | $133.02 |
The figures for 24K are shown at .999 because that is the standard for most gold you will meet. Some bars and coins reach .9999, and the difference is small: a gram at that purity is worth $133.14.
What each karat is used for
Karat is a trade-off between richness of color and toughness. Pure gold is soft enough to dent with a fingernail, so most things you wear every day are alloyed.
- 10K is the hardest and the cheapest of the common jewelry golds. It turns up in class rings, inexpensive chains and a lot of everyday pieces sold in the United States, where it is the lowest purity that may legally be sold as gold.
- 14K is the workhorse of American jewelry: wedding bands, pendants, bracelets, and earrings. It balances durability and gold content, and it is the karat you are most likely to find in a drawer.
- 18K appears in finer jewelry and in many watch cases. The color is noticeably richer, and the metal is still strong enough for settings that hold stones.
- 22K is the traditional standard for jewelry across South Asia and the Gulf, and it is also what the American Gold Eagle coin is made of. It scratches more easily, so it is chosen for wearing style rather than hard daily abuse.
- 24K is used for bars, many coins, and some ceremonial or gift jewelry. It is the form people mean when they say "pure gold."
Reading the stamp on a piece
Look for a tiny mark near the clasp, inside a ring band, or on a tag. Two systems are common: the karat mark (14K, 18K) and the fineness mark, which states parts per thousand.
| Mark | Meaning | Karat |
|---|---|---|
| 417 | 41.7% gold | 10K |
| 585 | 58.5% gold | 14K |
| 750 | 75.0% gold | 18K |
| 916 or 917 | about 91.6% gold | 22K |
| 999 | 99.9% gold | 24K |
You may also see a maker's mark, a country mark, or letters such as GF, GP or HGE. Those letters tell you the item is gold-filled, plated or electroplated, which means a thin layer of gold over another metal. The table at the top of this page does not apply to those pieces, because the gold content is a small fraction of the item's weight. If a piece has no stamp at all, treat the karat as unknown until it has been tested.
The 10K floor in the United States
Under federal jewelry guidelines, an item marked or described as gold in the United States must be at least 10K. Anything below that cannot be called gold in the marketplace. That is why you will not find 8K or 9K gold jewelry sold here, even though 9K (375) is an accepted standard in the United Kingdom. If you buy abroad and bring a 9K piece home, the 9K row is not on our table; its pure-gold share is 37.5 percent, so it sits below the 10K line.
Comparing two pieces of different karat
The mistake most people make is comparing weight alone. A heavier 10K piece is not automatically worth more than a lighter 18K one. The number that matters is pure gold weight, which is weight times purity.
Take two pieces. One is a 10 gram 14K chain, worth $776.72 in gold at today's price. The other is an 8 gram 18K pendant, worth $798.91. The chain is heavier, but the pendant holds more pure gold, 6.0 grams against 5.83 grams.
To compare any two items:
- Weigh each one in grams.
- Multiply by the pure share from the table above: .417, .583, .750, .917 or .999.
- Compare the results, or multiply by the live price for a dollar figure.
If you only have one piece, use the per-gram row for its karat and multiply by its weight. A 5 gram 24K piece, for example, carries $665.70 of melt value.
What this chart can't tell you
Everything on this page is melt value: the worth of the gold content at the live price. It is a useful ceiling, and it is not what someone will hand you. Buyers have to cover refining, testing, risk and their own profit, so offers for scrap sit below melt. Ranges reported by the trade run from roughly 60 to 85 percent of melt at local buyers and jewelers, 70 to 90 percent for mail-in buyers, and 90 percent or more at refiners that take larger lots. Stones, brand names and antique pieces can push a price above melt, but the table cannot see them.
If you are weighing an offer, the melt value versus resale guide explains what causes the spread, and the gold value calculator lets you enter your own karat and weight.
Related pages
- Gold value per gram for a 1 to 100 gram chart by karat.
- Gold value by weight for grams, pennyweights, ounces and kilos side by side.
- Gold coin value chart for the melt value of popular coins.
- How to read a gold value chart for what the live figure means.
- Where to buy gold if you are buying instead of selling.
Frequently asked questions
Is 14K gold worth more than 10K gold?
Per gram, yes. 14K is 58.3 percent gold and 10K is 41.7 percent, so a gram of 14K holds about 40 percent more gold. Today that is $77.67 against $55.48 per gram.
How do I know what karat my jewelry is?
Look for a stamp: 10K or 417, 14K or 585, 18K or 750, 22K or 916. If there is no mark, a jeweler can test the metal with acid or an electronic tester, and that is better than guessing from color.
Why does my gold chain weigh less than the scale says it is worth?
A scale reads total weight, including the other metals. Only a share of that is gold. Multiply weight by the purity of the karat to find the pure gold, then by the live price.
Is 24K gold always better than 18K?
It has more gold, but it is not always better. 24K is soft and dents easily, which is why rings and watch cases use stronger alloys. For everyday wear, 14K or 18K often lasts longer.
Does the karat price include the cost of making the piece?
No. This chart is the metal alone. Retail jewelry adds design, labor, stones and markup, and the resale price can fall well below the figures here.
Why is gold-filled jewelry worth so little?
The gold layer is thin. Even where the stamp reads 14K, the gold is a small portion of the piece's weight, so its melt value is far lower than a solid 14K item of the same size.
Can I sell a 9K piece in the United States?
You can sell it, but it cannot be marketed as gold in the United States. A buyer will usually test it and price it by weight against its actual purity of 37.5 percent.
Data sources: Spot price via api.gold-api.com · COMEX futures (GC=F) via Yahoo Finance. Prices are for informational purposes only and may be delayed. Figures on this page were generated . Gold is quoted in US dollars per troy ounce.