How the per-gram price is worked out
Gold is quoted internationally in US dollars per troy ounce, and a troy ounce is 31.1034768 grams. That single constant does all the work:
At a spot price of $4,098.00, that is $131.75 for a gram of pure gold. Anything less than pure scales down by its karat fraction, so 18K costs three quarters of that and 10K a little over four tenths.
The same logic gives the pennyweight rate, except you divide by 20 instead, because a troy ounce contains exactly twenty pennyweights. That is why a per-dwt number always looks roughly fifteen and a half times larger than the per-gram number for the same karat.
Reading a per-gram quote from a buyer
When a shop quotes you a per-gram price, work backwards before you agree. Take their number, divide by the melt rate for that karat in the table above, and you have the percentage of melt they are offering. A jeweler quoting $53.80 per gram for 14K against a melt rate of $76.86 is paying about 70% — which is a normal, fair retail-level offer.
Two things distort that comparison. First, some buyers quote per pennyweight rather than per gram, and a per-dwt number looks far more generous than it is. Second, some quote a single price for a mixed pile, which almost always means they are pricing everything at the lowest karat present. Separate karats and ask for the rate on each.
Why the price moves
Gold responds to real interest rates, the dollar, central bank buying and demand for a safe asset during stress. None of that is predictable, and this site does not forecast it. What matters for a seller is narrower: the metal is worth what it is worth today, offers are usually valid only briefly, and waiting for a better price is a bet, not a plan.
Common per-gram questions
How much is one gram of gold worth today?
Divide the spot price per troy ounce by 31.1035. That gives the 24K rate for one gram. For anything less than pure, multiply again by the karat fraction: 18K is 0.75 of the 24K rate, 14K is 0.5833, 10K is 0.4167. The table on this page does both steps at the current price.
Why does the per-gram price change during the day?
Gold trades close to around the clock on weekdays, so the underlying spot price moves continuously. The per-gram figure is simply that price divided by 31.1035, so it moves with it. Dealers usually quote against the price at the moment you transact, not the price you saw that morning.
Will a shop pay me the per-gram rate shown here?
No. These are melt rates — the value of the metal itself. A buyer deducts a margin that covers refining, assay and price risk. Pawn shops commonly pay 40–60% of melt, jewelers 65–80%, mail-in buyers 75–85% and refiners 90–98% before fees.
Is the per-gram price different for coins?
The metal value is identical, but bullion coins sell above it. A dealer adds a premium for minting and distribution, typically 3–8% on a one-ounce sovereign coin. Scrap jewelry goes the other way and sells below melt.
What is 916 gold worth per gram?
916 is the fineness stamp for 22K, meaning 91.6% pure. Its per-gram value is 0.9167 times the 24K per-gram rate. The 22K row in the table above shows the current figure.