Gold Purity Calculator

Our Gold Purity Calculator is an essential tool for anyone looking to understand the true value of their gold items. Whether you're considering selling jewelry, valuing an heirloom, or adding an item to your portfolio tracker, knowing its pure gold content is the first step. This guide will help you understand the key concepts behind the calculation.

What Does 'Karat' Mean?

The purity of gold is measured in karats (K). Pure gold is 24K, but it's very soft, making it unsuitable for most jewelry. To increase durability, gold is often mixed with other metals like copper, silver, or zinc to form an alloy. The karat number tells you how many parts of pure gold are in the 24 parts of the alloy. For a full breakdown, read our academy article on understanding karats.

• 24K Gold: 99.9% pure gold. The highest purity, often found in bullion bars and coins.
• 22K Gold: 91.7% pure gold. Common in investment-grade jewelry in many parts of the world.
• 18K Gold: 75.0% pure gold. A popular choice for fine jewelry, offering a great balance of purity and strength.
• 14K Gold: 58.3% pure gold. Very durable and widely used in everyday jewelry, especially in the US.

How the Calculation Works

Our calculator simplifies this for you. First, it determines the 'pure gold weight' by multiplying your item's total weight by its purity percentage (e.g., 10 grams of 18K gold contains 10 * 0.750 = 7.5 grams of pure gold). Then, it multiplies this pure gold weight by the current live market price of gold to give you an accurate, real-time valuation in your selected currency.

This 'melt value' is a baseline for your item's worth. For more insights into the precious metals market, check out our blog or explore other analytical tools like the Gold-to-Silver Ratio.