24K Gold Price per Gram Today

Four finenesses that all get called 24 karat

24K gold is priced at the full spot price for its weight, less only the tiny fraction that isn’t gold. A troy ounce of 999.9 gold is, for pricing purposes, one ounce of gold at spot. The catch is that “24 karat” covers more than one fineness, and the one stamped on your bar or coin matters for large amounts.

How much the fineness changes the value

The difference between 999 and 999.9 is less than a tenth of a percent. The difference between 990 and 999.9 is almost a full percent, which on a kilogram bar at the example price used below comes to nearly $1,000. Always price from the stamped fineness, not from the word “24K.”

Searches for “999.9 gold price” come mostly from people holding minted bars or Asian jewelry marked that way. The gold price in Hong Kong page covers how chuk kam and 999.9 jewelry are quoted there.

Chuk kam and Asian pure gold jewelry

In Hong Kong, jewelry sold as chuk kam (足金, “full gold”) must be at least 990 fine. Mainland China uses the same term for 990 and a separate grade, 千足金, for 999. These pieces are soft and bright yellow, and they’re sold largely by weight, often in Chinese-American jewelry stores in the U.S. as well.

24K by the gram and by 10 grams

Buyers from India, the Gulf and East Asia often search “10 gram 24k gold price in USA” because 10 grams is the unit they grew up with. The conversion is simple: 10 grams is 0.3215 troy ounce, so 10 grams of 999.9 gold is worth 32.15% of the spot price per ounce. At an example spot of $3,000, that is about $964.

A single gram of 24K is 1/31.1035 of an ounce, about $96.45 at the same example price. Retail prices for 1-gram bars run well above that figure because the cost of minting, packaging and assaying a tiny bar is spread over very little metal.

Bars, biscuits and coins: 24K by the piece

Most searches for “24 karat gold price in USA” come from bullion buyers, not jewelry owners. Here the question is usually per piece: how much is one 24K gold bar worth, or a one-ounce coin?

How many grams are in an ounce of 24K gold?

A troy ounce is 31.1035 grams, whatever the karat. The ounce on a kitchen or postal scale is the avoirdupois ounce of 28.35 grams, which is why a 1 oz bar reads about 1.1 oz on a household scale.

Dealer prices for bars sit above these figures when you buy and below them when you sell. Premiums per ounce are highest on small bars and lowest on kilobars. The gold bar prices page lists typical bar sizes.

What a “gold biscuit” is

“Gold biscuit” is a South Asian and Middle Eastern term for a small, flat 24K bar. The classic size is the 10 tola bar of 116.64 grams, still widely traded in the Gulf. Some biscuits are 999, some 999.9; the stamp tells you which.

24K coins

Not all gold coins are 24K. The American Gold Eagle and the Krugerrand are 22K, while the American Gold Buffalo and the Maple Leaf are 999.9. The American Gold Buffalo, first struck in 2006, was the U.S. Mint’s first 24 karat gold coin.

Why pure gold is rare in American jewelry

Pure gold is extremely soft. A 24K ring scratches from everyday contact, bends if squeezed and wears thin quickly. Stones set in 24K don’t stay put for long because prongs spread. American jewelry is therefore almost always alloyed, usually to 14K, and 24K is left to bullion.

That softness is also a clue. A “24K” ring that shows no scratches after years of wear is worth testing.

Where 24K jewelry does exist

Some jewelry cultures do wear pure or nearly pure gold. Chinese chuk kam bangles and pendants, Thai 96.5% “baht gold” chains and some Indian pieces at 23K or 24K are sold mainly by weight and bought partly as savings. In those markets the jewelry’s value is tied closely to the gold price, and making charges are kept small. Thai baht gold is actually about 23K rather than 24K, which is a common source of confusion when pieces are resold in the U.S.

24K plated is not 24K

“How much is 24k gold plated worth” is a common search, and the answer is: almost nothing as scrap. Plated items carry a coating measured in microns. Under the FTC Guides, gold electroplate needs only 0.175 microns of gold, and “heavy” electroplate 2.5 microns. The word “24K” on a plated item describes the coating, not the object, so a buyer won’t pay for it.

• 24K GP, 24K GE or “24K gold plated”: coating only.
• 24K HGE: a thicker coating, still worth little.
• 999, 999.9 or 24K alone, with a refiner’s or mint’s mark: solid pure gold.
• Gold leaf and flakes in foods or cosmetics: real 24K, but in amounts too small to have resale value.

Checking a 24K bar before you buy or sell it

Because 24K is sold near spot, a fake bar costs the buyer almost its full price. Dealers check bars carefully, and you can understand what they look for.

1. Read the stamp: refiner or mint name, weight, fineness and, on most bars, a serial number. Many minted bars come sealed in an assay card with a matching serial.
2. Weigh it on a scale that reads to 0.01 gram. A genuine 1 oz bar weighs 31.10 grams.
3. Measure the dimensions. Gold’s density is 19.32 grams per cubic centimeter, so a bar that is too thick or too wide for its weight is suspect.
4. Use a non-destructive tester. Tungsten has a density of about 19.3, almost identical to gold, so a gold-plated tungsten bar can pass a weight-and-size check. Ultrasonic and conductivity testers can detect a core that weight alone cannot.
5. Treat XRF results with care. XRF reads the surface, so it confirms a coating but not the inside of the bar.

Selling at the gold spot price is rare: dealers buy slightly below it to cover their costs. A quote at a small discount to spot on a recognized bar is normal.

For a real-time benchmark, compare any offer with the gold price per ounce today multiplied by your bar’s pure gold weight in ounces.