Before heading to a pawn shop or a gold buyer, it is essential to know the "melt value" of your gold. This calculator helps you determine how much your gold is worth based on its purity and weight. To get an accurate result, you will need the current market price of 24K gold, which fluctuates throughout the trading day.
Understanding Gold Karats
Gold purity is measured in karats. 24K is pure gold, but it is often too soft for jewelry. Most items are alloyed with other metals to increase durability. When you sell gold, the buyer only pays for the actual gold content, not the other metals in the alloy.
Karat
Purity Percentage
Decimal Equivalent
24K
99.9%
1.000
22K
91.6%
0.916
18K
75.0%
0.750
14K
58.3%
0.583
Factors Affecting Your Payout
Current Spot Price: The live market price for raw gold.
Purity: Higher karat items yield more cash per gram.
Dealer Spread: Most gold buyers take a commission (usually 10% to 30%) to cover their overhead and profit.
Wastage: Some buyers deduct a small percentage for the refining process.
Step-by-Step Selling Tips
1. Separate by Karat: Group your 14k pieces away from your 18k pieces so they aren't weighed together at the lowest purity.
2. Remove Gemstones: Most gold buyers do not pay for the weight of stones unless they are large diamonds. If the stones are valuable to you, have them removed first.
3. Check Multiple Buyers: Selling rates can vary significantly between local jewelry stores, pawn shops, and online gold refiners.
function calculateGoldValue() {
var pricePerGram = parseFloat(document.getElementById("currentGoldPrice").value);
var weight = parseFloat(document.getElementById("goldWeight").value);
var karat = parseFloat(document.getElementById("goldKarat").value);
var feePercent = parseFloat(document.getElementById("dealerFee").value);
if (isNaN(pricePerGram) || isNaN(weight) || pricePerGram <= 0 || weight <= 0) {
alert("Please enter valid positive numbers for price and weight.");
return;
}
if (isNaN(feePercent)) { feePercent = 0; }
// Calculation Logic
var purityFactor = karat / 24;
var pureGoldWeight = weight * purityFactor;
var totalMarketValue = pureGoldWeight * pricePerGram;
var deductionAmount = totalMarketValue * (feePercent / 100);
var finalCashValue = totalMarketValue – deductionAmount;
// Display Results
document.getElementById("pureContent").innerText = pureGoldWeight.toFixed(3) + " grams";
document.getElementById("marketVal").innerText = totalMarketValue.toLocaleString(undefined, {minimumFractionDigits: 2, maximumFractionDigits: 2});
document.getElementById("deductionVal").innerText = "- " + deductionAmount.toLocaleString(undefined, {minimumFractionDigits: 2, maximumFractionDigits: 2});
document.getElementById("finalPayout").innerText = finalCashValue.toLocaleString(undefined, {minimumFractionDigits: 2, maximumFractionDigits: 2});
document.getElementById("goldResult").style.display = "block";
}