22K Gold Price Per Gram Today
22K gold · live melt value
$128.01per 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
22K gold is 91.7% pure — 22 parts in 24, and the karat most often stamped 916. It is the traditional standard for Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and much of Middle Eastern jewelry, where gold has always been as much a savings instrument as an ornament. If you have inherited jewelry from any of those traditions, it is very likely 22K and worth considerably more per gram than American 14K.
The figure above is the melt value of that 91.7% fraction at the current spot price. Because the purity is so high, the melt value tracks the spot price closely — there is not much alloy diluting it. That makes 22K one of the easier karats to sanity-check: if an offer is far below the number above, the gap is coming out of the buyer's margin, not out of the metallurgy.
Two warnings specific to this karat. First, 22K bullion coins trade above melt and should never be sold as scrap without checking their coin value. Second, some American buyers are simply not set up to recognize 916 stamps and will default to testing your piece against lower-karat assumptions. Insist on seeing the test.
22K gold by the unit
| Unit | Grams | 22K melt value |
|---|---|---|
| 1 gram | 1.0000 | $128.01 |
| 1 pennyweight (dwt) | 1.55517384 | — |
| 1 troy ounce (ozt) | 31.1034768 | — |
What typical 22K pieces are worth
| Piece | Typical weight | Melt value range |
|---|---|---|
| Indian bangle, single Usually sold in pairs or sets | 10–25 g | — |
| Wedding necklace set Bridal sets run much heavier | 30–80 g | — |
| Mangalsutra | 15–40 g | — |
| Jhumka earrings, pair | 8–20 g | — |
| Gold coin, 1/2 ozt Numismatic value may exceed melt | 15–16 g | — |
| Child's bangle | 4–10 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 |
22K sits just below pure gold and well above everything commonly sold in American mall jewelry. A gram of 22K carries about 57% more gold than a gram of 14K. If you are holding a mixed inheritance, the 916-stamped pieces are almost certainly the most valuable per gram in the box, even when they are not the largest.
22K gold questions
Why is 22K standard in Indian and Middle Eastern jewelry?
Because in those markets gold jewelry doubles as a store of wealth, not just adornment. Buyers want the metal content as high as practical while still being wearable, and 22K at 91.7% purity is the traditional balance point. It also has the deep yellow color those markets expect; 14K looks noticeably pale by comparison.
What is the difference between 22K and 916 gold?
They are the same thing. 916 refers to 91.6% or 91.67% fineness, which is 22 parts gold in 24. Indian jewelers commonly stamp 916 and BIS hallmarked pieces carry it alongside a hallmarking centre mark. If your piece is stamped 916, this page is the right one.
Will an American buyer recognize 22K jewelry?
Refiners will, and they buy it routinely. Some local pawn shops and mall gold buyers are less familiar with 916 stamps and occasionally test a piece as if it were lower karat, or quote off a 14K assumption. Bring the stamp to their attention and ask them to test it in front of you. This is one of the more common ways people are underpaid.
Should I sell 22K bridal jewelry for scrap?
Think carefully first. Indian bridal gold is often bought back by the jeweler who sold it, sometimes on better terms than a scrap buyer offers, and family pieces frequently carry value that a melt calculation cannot express. Check with a jeweler serving the same community before you weigh anything for scrap.
Is 22K too soft to wear?
It is noticeably softer than 14K or 18K and will scratch, dent and bend with rough handling. Traditional 22K designs account for this with thicker sections and forms that tolerate a little distortion. It is not suited to a ring worn while doing manual work, which is part of why it never became the American everyday standard.
Do 22K coins get valued differently from 22K jewelry?
Yes, and it matters. Bullion coins like the American Gold Eagle and the older British sovereign are 22K, and they trade at a premium over melt because of what they are, not just what they contain. Never sell a recognizable coin as scrap without checking its bullion or collector price first. This page prices metal content only.
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.