GoldValue

Scrap gold calculator

Got a box of mixed jewelry? Add each piece or each karat group as its own row and see the total melt value.

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This is an estimate of the melt value, not an offer or an appraisal. Gold buyers almost always pay less than melt value. Stones, designer pieces and antiques can be worth more or less. The weight and karat must be correct. Always get several offers. What buyers really pay

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Tips

  • Sort pieces by stamp first: 10K, 14K, 18K and so on.
  • Weigh each group in grams.
  • Leave out anything stamped GF, GP, RGP, HGE or “plated”.
  • Remove stones where you can, or estimate the metal weight without them.

Why sorting by karat matters

If you hand over a mixed bag, a buyer may test the lowest karat and price everything at that level. Sorting and weighing each karat yourself lets you check that every group is priced correctly. 18K is worth about 28% more per gram than 14K, and 14K about 40% more than 10K, so the difference is real.

What counts as scrap gold

Broken chains, single earrings, outdated rings, dental gold and damaged pieces are all scrap. So is any jewelry you plan to sell for its metal. Items with a maker’s name, antiques and pieces with valuable stones may be worth more as jewelry than as metal, so get those valued separately.

What buyers pay for scrap

One refinery that publishes its terms, Northern Refineries in the US, says it pays 96% of the fine gold it recovers from karat gold for lots of 3 troy ounces or more, and 94% for smaller lots, based on the market price on the day the order is completed (Northern Refineries settlement terms, checked October 19, 2026). That is a refinery price for people who ship scrap to them. Jewelry stores, pawnshops, cash-for-gold shops and mail-in buyers set their own prices, which are not published in the same way, and they can be much lower. The only way to know is to ask several buyers for a written price per gram for your karat.