What purity is 14K gold?

14 karat gold is 58.5% pure gold (14/24 = 0.585). This is the most common gold purity for jewelry in the United States. The remaining 41.5% consists of alloy metals like copper, silver, or zinc.

What is sterling silver purity?

Sterling silver is 92.5% pure silver (0.925). It is marked as "925" or "Sterling." The other 7.5% is usually copper, which adds durability. This is the standard for silver flatware and jewelry.

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Scrap Calculator

Enter your metal's weight and purity to instantly calculate its melt value using live spot prices.

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Copper scrap (per pound)

Copper trades by the pound, not the troy ounce. Enter the weight and grade to see what the copper is worth at today's COMEX price.

Copper Grade

Weight

Copper Value at Spot

$61.07

9.90 lb recoverable copper

This is the recoverable copper valued at the live COMEX price. Scrap yards pay a share of this: bare bright lands closest to spot, painted or insulated grades well below. Quotes vary by yard, so use this as your benchmark.

Common Questions

How do I calculate the melt value of scrap gold?

Melt value = Weight (in troy oz) x Purity x Spot Price. For example, 10 grams of 14K gold (58.5% pure) at $2,000/oz spot = (10g / 31.1g per oz) x 0.585 x $2,000 = $376.21 melt value. The same formula works for silver, platinum, and palladium since all four are priced per troy ounce.

What is the difference between melt value and what a refiner pays?

Melt value is the theoretical value of the pure metal content. Refiners typically pay 85-95% of melt value to cover refining costs, assay fees, and profit margin. Vance's calculator shows both values.

How many grams are in a troy ounce?

One troy ounce equals 31.1035 grams. This is different from a regular (avoirdupois) ounce which is 28.35 grams. Precious metals are always measured in troy ounces.

Standard Fineness

Gold Karats

24K (Pure) 99.9%

22K 91.7%

18K 75.0%

14K 58.5%

10K 41.7%

9K 37.5%

Silver Standards

Fine .999 99.9%

Sterling .925 92.5%

Coin .900 90.0%

European .800 80.0%

Platinum Standards

Pure .999 99.9%

Jewelry .950 95.0%

Coin .900 90.0%

Alloy .850 85.0%

Palladium Standards