14K Gold Price Per Gram Today
14K gold · live melt value
$81.45per gram
Calculate your gold
Melt value
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What buyers actually pay
Melt value is what the metal is worth. It is not what anyone will hand you. Every buyer subtracts refining, assay, shipping, insurance and their own margin.
- Melt value 100% of melt
- Online refiner (mail-in) 75%–90% of melt
- Local gold buyer / jeweler 60%–75% of melt
- Pawn shop 40%–60% of melt
Enter a weight to see your estimate.
These ranges are estimates built from published buyer terms and commonly reported industry spreads — not a proprietary dataset, and not a quote. Your actual offer depends on the piece, the buyer and the day. See how we calculate this.
What this number actually means
14K gold is 58.3% pure gold by weight — 14 parts gold out of 24. The rest is a working alloy of copper, silver and zinc that makes the metal hard enough to survive being worn every day. When we quote a 14K price per gram, we are pricing that 58.3% fraction at the current market spot price and ignoring the alloy metals, which is exactly what a refiner does.
That figure is the melt value: what the raw metal in your piece is worth as a commodity. It is a real, checkable number, and it is the correct starting point for any conversation with a buyer. It is also not what anyone is going to pay you. A buyer has to cover assaying, refining losses, shipping, insurance and their own margin, and every one of those comes out of the melt figure before you see a check.
The useful way to hold this number is as a ceiling. Nobody pays melt. What you want to know is how far below melt a given offer sits, and whether that gap is normal for that type of buyer or whether you are being taken. That is what the ladder above is for.
14K gold by the unit
| Unit | Grams | 14K melt value |
|---|---|---|
| 1 gram | 1.0000 | $81.45 |
| 1 pennyweight (dwt) | 1.55517384 | — |
| 1 troy ounce (ozt) | 31.1034768 | — |
What typical 14K pieces are worth
| Piece | Typical weight | Melt value range |
|---|---|---|
| Wedding band, plain Comfort-fit bands run heavier | 4–7 g | — |
| Woman's ring with small stones Stone weight does not count | 2–4 g | — |
| Rope chain, 20 in | 10–20 g | — |
| Tennis bracelet setting Excludes diamonds | 8–14 g | — |
| Pair of stud earrings | 1–3 g | — |
| Class ring | 8–15 g | — |
Compare every karat
| Karat | Gold content | Melt value / gram | Online refiner pays |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24K | 99.9% | $139.50 | $104.63–$125.55 |
| 22K | 91.7% | $128.01 | $96.01–$115.21 |
| 18K | 75.0% | $104.73 | $78.55–$94.26 |
| 14K | 58.3% | $81.45 | $61.09–$73.31 |
| 10K | 41.7% | $58.19 | $43.64–$52.37 |
14K sits in the middle of the range, which makes it a useful reference point. A gram of 18K carries roughly 29% more gold than a gram of 14K, and a gram of 10K carries about 29% less. If you have a mixed lot, sort it by stamp before you weigh it — buyers price each karat separately, and a lot weighed as a single pile always gets valued at the lowest karat present.
14K gold questions
Is 14K gold real gold?
Yes. 14K is an alloy that is 58.3% pure gold by weight, mixed with metals like copper, silver, zinc and nickel for hardness. It is legally gold in the United States and it has genuine melt value. The alloy metals are worth almost nothing by comparison, which is why buyers price your piece off the gold fraction alone.
Why is 14K the most common karat in American jewelry?
It is the practical compromise between color, durability and price. Pure gold is too soft for a ring worn daily, while 10K starts to look pale. 14K holds a recognizably gold color, resists scratching and dents, and costs meaningfully less than 18K. Most US wedding bands, chains and everyday jewelry are 14K.
How do I know my piece is actually 14K?
Look for a stamp reading 14K, 14KT, 585 or 0.585 on the inside of a ring shank, on a chain clasp or on the back of a pendant. 585 is the European style marking for the same 58.5% alloy. If the stamp is worn off or absent, a buyer will test the piece with acid or an XRF analyzer before making an offer, and reputable buyers do that in front of you.
Does 14K gold plated jewelry have any melt value?
Essentially none. Plating is a microscopic layer measured in millionths of an inch over brass or silver, and recovering it costs more than the gold is worth. Markings like GP, GF, HGE, RGP or "14K gold filled" all indicate a coating, not solid gold. Only a solid 14K stamp carries the value this calculator estimates.
What will a buyer actually pay for 14K scrap?
Expect somewhere between 40% and 90% of melt value depending on where you sell. Mail-in refiners typically pay the most for larger lots because their per-transaction costs are spread across more metal. Pawn shops pay the least because they carry the highest risk and overhead. Our payout ladder shows the range for your specific weight.
Should I sell my 14K jewelry as scrap or as jewelry?
If the piece is a recognized designer item, is antique, or holds stones of real value, selling it intact will almost always beat scrap value. Scrap pricing ignores craftsmanship entirely. For broken chains, mismatched earrings and worn bands with no brand, scrap is usually the honest answer.
Before you accept an offer
Weigh the piece yourself, know its karat, and compare at least three buyers. The gap between the best and worst offer on the same lot of scrap gold is routinely larger than most people expect.