Gold Karats Explained: 24K vs 22K vs 21K vs 18K
A karat (K) expresses the share of pure gold in an alloy in 24ths. Pure gold is 24 karat; 18 karat gold is 18/24 = 75% gold, with the rest made of metals such as silver, copper or palladium that add strength and colour.
| Karat | Gold content | Hallmark | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24K | 99.9% | 999 | Bullion bars and coins, Chinese and Thai investment jewellery |
| 22K | 91.6% | 916 | Indian, Pakistani and Gulf jewellery; gold sovereigns, Krugerrands, American Eagles |
| 21K | 87.5% | 875 | The most popular jewellery grade in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the wider Middle East |
| 18K | 75.0% | 750 | European fine jewellery and watches |
| 14K | 58.5% | 585 | USA, Russia and Eastern Europe everyday jewellery |
| 10K | 41.7% | 417 | Lowest legal 'gold' standard in the USA |
How to calculate the value of gold jewellery
Multiply the weight in grams by the purity and by today's price per gram of pure gold. For example, a 10 g chain in 18K contains 10 × 0.75 = 7.5 g of pure gold. Our karat tables and gold calculator do this automatically using the live spot price.
Remember that a jeweller's buying price will be lower than the melt value, and the retail price of new jewellery includes making charges and taxes.