18K Gold Price Per Gram Today
$97.63 per gram of 18K gold
$151.83 per pennyweight · $3,036.60 per troy ounce of 18K
Gold spot $4,048.80/oz · updated
Quick answer: Three quarters of an 18K piece is gold, so one gram carries $97.63 of metal at the live spot price of $4,048.80 per troy ounce, as of October 28, 2026. That is higher than 14K, lower than 22K, and the karat most often chosen when a piece is meant to be both worn and valued.
Walk into a fine jeweler, and the display case changes. The engagement rings, the designer watches with gold cases, and the heirloom-style necklaces tend to be 18K. People are paying for richer color and a higher share of gold, and the karat reflects that. This page prices it gram by gram and works through the question buyers of jewelry and sellers of scrap both ask: what do the extra four karats really add?
| Weight | In pennyweights | 18K melt value |
|---|---|---|
| 1 g | 0.64 dwt | $97.63 |
| 2 g | 1.29 dwt | $195.26 |
| 5 g | 3.22 dwt | $488.14 |
| 10 g | 6.43 dwt | $976.29 |
| 20 g | 12.86 dwt | $1,952.58 |
| 25 g | 16.08 dwt | $2,440.72 |
| 50 g | 32.15 dwt | $4,881.45 |
| 100 g | 64.30 dwt | $9,762.90 |
Every row is weight multiplied by 75% multiplied by the spot price per gram. Five grams of 18K comes to $488.14, and 20 grams to $1,952.58. If your piece falls between the rows, the gold value calculator handles any weight.
The 750 mark and what it means
Look for a stamp reading 18K, 18KT or 750. The 750 is the fineness, 750 parts gold in a thousand, which equals 75%. The balance of 25% is the alloy. In European pieces you may see an eagle head or another assay mark beside the number, which is a hallmark added by an authority and not just a maker's stamp. Our gold purity chart shows how 750 sits alongside 417, 585, 916 and 999.
Why white, yellow and rose gold are all 18K
Color in gold jewelry comes from what is mixed with the gold, not from different grades of the metal. Pure gold is a deep yellow. The 25% of 18K that is not gold decides the final shade:
- Yellow 18K usually uses silver and copper in balanced amounts, which keeps the tone close to pure gold.
- Rose 18K leans on more copper, which pushes the color toward pink and red.
- White 18K blends in metals such as palladium or nickel to lighten the color, and the piece is often rhodium plated for extra brightness.
Because these other metals add strength and color but very little value, a white-gold ring and a yellow-gold ring of identical weight have essentially the same melt value. Plating wears over time, so white gold can look slightly yellow years later, and a jeweler can re-plate it.
Why 18K sits between wearable and valuable
Higher gold content makes metal softer. A piece of 18K scratches and bends more readily than 14K, so a ring worn every day may show wear sooner, particularly in a thin band. In exchange you get a richer color and a higher gold share, which also means stronger resale metal value. Many jewelers describe 18K as the middle ground for pieces that will be admired but handled with some care, and 14K as the harder-wearing everyday choice.
At the other end, 22K is richer and softer still, and 24K is generally too soft for everyday jewelry. The karat you pick is partly a decision about how you will use the piece.
A 10 gram chain, two karats
Imagine two chains that both weigh exactly 10 grams, identical in style, one 14K and one 18K. At today's prices the 14K chain holds $759.34 of gold, and the 18K chain holds $976.29. The 18K chain therefore has about 29 percent more gold content for the same weight, because 75% divided by 58.3% is close to 1.29.
Now consider selling both. A buyer offering a share of melt applies the same percentage to each, so the 18K chain returns more money, but both payouts sit under the table figure. The trade commonly reports about 90 to 98 percent of melt from refiners with minimum lots, 70 to 90 from mail-in buyers, and 60 to 85 from local buyers, with pawn counters often lower. These are reported ranges, not quotes. Put a hypothetical 80 percent offer on each chain and the 18K one still outearns the 14K, but the real gain from choosing the richer karat is smaller than the table suggests after the buyer's margin.
Selling 18K? Use the table as your ceiling, and ask for the share of melt each buyer pays in writing before you agree to anything.
Buying instead? See our guide to where to buy gold for how bars and coins are priced.
How the gram of 18K compares
For the same gram, 10K is worth $54.24, 14K is worth $75.93, 18K is $97.63, 22K is $119.32 and 24K is $130.04. Every karat is spot per gram multiplied by its purity share, so the ladder moves up by a steady proportion. The whole grid is on the gold price per gram page, and the spot price that drives it appears on the main gold value chart.
What this chart cannot tell you
This figure is melt value only. It leaves out the maker's work, brand premiums on designer pieces, the weight of diamonds or other stones, and the margin any buyer keeps. A signed vintage piece can be worth more than its gold, while a damaged one may be worth just the metal. It also cannot confirm the karat of the item you hold, so a test or a written appraisal matters before you rely on the number.
Frequently asked questions
How much is a gram of 18K gold worth right now?
At the current spot price of $4,048.80 per ounce, one gram of 18K is worth $97.63, calculated as pure gold per gram ($130.17) multiplied by 0.75. The figure updates as spot moves.
Is 18K gold worth more than 14K?
Per gram, yes, because it contains more gold. For the same weight, 18K holds about 29 percent more gold than 14K. A heavy 14K piece can still hold more total gold than a light 18K one.
Does white gold have less value than yellow gold?
Not in terms of melt value, which depends on the karat and weight, not color. The alloy metals that create the color carry little value in either case.
Why is 18K less common in the US than 14K?
Cost and durability are the usual reasons. A higher gold share costs more and wears faster, so many American buyers choose 14K for everyday items and 18K for special pieces.
Data sources: Spot price via api.gold-api.com · COMEX futures (GC=F) via Yahoo Finance. Prices are for informational purposes only and may be delayed. Figures on this page were generated . Gold is quoted in US dollars per troy ounce.