Gold Price Per Pound Calculator
Prices on this page use gold spot at $4,169.70/troy oz ($60,808/lb) · updated
| Karat | ½ lb | 1 lb | 5 lb | 10 lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24k (pure) | $30,404 | $60,808 | $304,041 | $608,081 |
| 22k | $27,870 | $55,741 | $278,704 | $557,408 |
| 18k | $22,803 | $45,606 | $228,030 | $456,061 |
| 14k | $17,736 | $35,471 | $177,357 | $354,714 |
| 10k | $12,668 | $25,337 | $126,684 | $253,367 |
Melt values at spot. The table works without JavaScript.
Quick answer. Enter a weight, pick its unit and karat, and the calculator shows how much pure gold it contains and what that gold is worth at today's spot price of $4,169.70 per troy ounce ($60,808 per pound). It works in pounds, troy ounces, everyday ounces, grams, kilograms and pennyweights, and it always uses 14.583 troy ounces to the pound, never 16.
How the Calculator Works
Every result comes from two steps:
Pure gold (troy oz) = weight converted to troy ounces × (karat ÷ 24) Melt value = pure gold × spot price
The conversions it uses are fixed definitions, not estimates:
| Unit | In troy ounces |
|---|---|
| 1 pound (avoirdupois) | 14.5833 |
| 1 kilogram | 32.1507 |
| 1 everyday (avoirdupois) ounce | 0.9115 |
| 1 gram | 0.03215 |
| 1 pennyweight (dwt) | 0.05 |
Karat is converted to a fraction of 24: 22k is 91.67% gold, 18k is 75%, 14k is 58.33% and 10k is 41.67%. If you know an item's fineness in parts per thousand (such as 585 or 750), choose "custom" and enter it as a percentage.
The calculator also reports value per pound at that karat, so you can compare your item with the per-pound figures quoted elsewhere on this site, whatever unit you weighed it in.
Worked Examples
1. Twelve ounces on a kitchen scale, 14k. A food scale reads everyday ounces. 12 × 0.9115 = 10.94 troy ounces of 14k, which contains 6.38 troy ounces of pure gold, worth $26,603.55 at spot.
2. A 2.5 kg lot of 18k. 2.5 × 32.1507 = 80.38 troy ounces × 0.75 = 60.28 troy ounces of pure gold, worth $251,361.
3. 40 pennyweights of 10k. 40 × 0.05 = 2 troy ounces × 0.4167 = 0.833 troy ounces of gold, worth $3,474.75.
4. Three pounds of 22k coins. 3 × 14.583 = 43.75 troy ounces × 0.9167 = 40.10 troy ounces of gold, worth $167,222. (For government coins, the gold content is stamped on the coin, so it's more accurate to count coins than to weigh them.)
Choosing the Right Scale
The calculator is only as good as the weight you give it.
- For jewelry and small lots, use a gram scale. An inexpensive digital scale that reads to 0.1 g or 0.01 g is far more precise than a kitchen scale for anything under a pound.
- For large lots, a kitchen scale is fine if you convert. Set it to grams if it offers them; if it only reads ounces, remember those are everyday ounces and pick "everyday oz" in the calculator.
- Check the scale. A US nickel weighs 5.000 grams; a few of them make a handy reference weight.
- Tare the container. Weigh the dish first and subtract it, or use the scale's tare button.
- Weigh karats separately. A mixed pile weighed together can't be priced accurately. For mixed lots, use our scrap gold calculator, which takes one line per karat.
What the Result Means (and What It Doesn't)
The figure the calculator gives you is melt value: the worth of the pure gold in your item at the spot price at the time shown. It's useful as a reference point in both directions:
- When selling, melt value is the most a buyer of scrap gold is likely to pay for the metal. Offers come in below it.
- When buying, melt value is the least you'll pay. Coins and bars come with a premium on top; our premium calculator measures it.
Turning an offer into a percentage. When a buyer quotes you a price, divide it by the melt value the calculator shows. An offer of $21,282.84 on a lot whose melt value is $26,603.55 (example 1 above) is 80% of melt, inside the range local buyers commonly pay; the same lot at a refiner might bring 90% or more. Comparing offers as a percentage of melt is the only fair way to compare buyers who quote in different units.
It isn't an appraisal. The calculator can't see your item, test its karat or judge its design, condition or collector value, and some items (antique jewelry, signed pieces, rare coins, specimen nuggets) are worth well above their melt value.
Selling gold by weight? Your result is the ceiling, not an offer. Buyers pay a share of melt that depends on who they are and how much you bring: refiners often 90% or more, usually with a minimum lot; mail-in buyers roughly 70–90%; local buyers and jewelers roughly 60–85%; pawn shops often less, per 2026 seller guides. Ask what they pay per gram of pure gold and how they test.
Buying instead? You'll pay above this figure. See what a pound of gold costs once you buy it.
Related Pages
- Scrap gold price per pound
- 14k gold price per pound
- How many ounces are in a pound of gold
- Gold price per pound
FAQ
How do I calculate the value of gold by weight?
Convert the weight to troy ounces, multiply by the karat fraction (karat ÷ 24), then multiply by the spot price. The calculator does all three steps.
Does the calculator use 16 ounces to the pound?
No. It uses 14.583 troy ounces per pound, the correct figure for gold.
Can I enter weight in grams?
Yes, or in pounds, kilograms, troy ounces, everyday ounces or pennyweights.
How current is the gold price it uses?
It uses the spot price shown at the top of the page, as of September 29, 2026, and re-checks it while the page is open.
Is the result what a buyer will pay me?
No. It's the melt value of the gold. Buyers pay a percentage of it.
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; this site converts at 14.583 troy ounces per avoirdupois pound.