How Much Is 10K Gold Worth Per Gram?

By Steven Sinatra · June 23, 2026

10K is the most common karat in American jewelry — class rings, chains, charm bracelets — and the one sellers most often underestimate. It's real gold, just less of it. Here's exactly what a gram is worth.

How much is 10K gold worth per gram?

At a hypothetical gold price of $4,000 per troy ounce, 10K gold is worth about $53.58 per gram at melt. 10K is 41.7% pure gold (that's the "417" stamp you'll often find on it), so a gram of 10K contains 0.417 grams of actual gold. The rest is alloy metals like copper, silver, and zinc that add strength but carry no gold value.

The math is the same as any scrap gold: a gram of pure gold at $4,000/ozt is worth $4,000 ÷ 31.1035 = $128.60, and 10K is 41.7% of that → $53.58 per gram of melt value. (Gold moves daily, so treat the dollar figures here as a worked example, not today's price — run your real weight against the live calculator.)

10K gold value by weight

Multiply the per-gram melt value by how many grams you have. At $4,000/ozt:

These are melt values — the gold content only. A buyer pays a percentage of melt (see below), and any stones, clasps, or non-gold parts must be subtracted from the weight first.

Is 10K gold worth scrapping?

Yes. 10K is the legal minimum in the U.S. for something to be sold as "gold," and at 41.7% pure it holds real, meaningful value — a 10-gram 10K chain is worth over $500 at melt in this example. It's only "low" relative to higher karats; against the scrap pile it's still gold. The one thing to confirm is that the piece is solid 10K and not gold-filled or plated, which contain far less gold.

How does 10K compare to 14K and 18K?

Karat is just the gold fraction, so value scales directly with it. Per gram at $4,000/ozt:

So 10K is worth about 71% of what 14K is, gram for gram — worth knowing if you're sorting a mixed lot. Those stamp numbers (417, 585, 750) are the fastest way to tell karats apart; here's what the gold stamps mean.

What will a buyer actually pay?

Expect an offer below melt. A fair buyer pays roughly 80–90% of melt for clean, clearly-marked 10K jewelry; pawn shops and quick cash-for-gold counters often pay less — sometimes 60–70% — because they price conservatively and need margin. On the 5-gram example ($267.92 melt), a 85% payout is about $227.73. Knowing the melt number first is what stops you accepting a lowball.

Estimate it in seconds

Weigh the piece in grams, confirm it's solid 10K, and let the tool do the rest. Scrap Gold Pro prices 10K against live spot prices and lets you set your own payout percentage, so you can quote a ring — or a whole jar of chains — on the spot. It's free on web, iOS, and Android.

Open the calculator →

Frequently asked questions