Use this calculator to estimate the value of your gold-filled scrap items. Gold-filled material contains a layer of real gold bonded to a base metal, typically representing a specific percentage of the item's total weight (e.g., 1/20 10K GF means 5% of the item's weight is 10K gold).
Common values: 5% for 1/20 GF, 10% for 1/10 GF.
This is the percentage of the pure gold value the refiner will pay you.
Understanding Gold Filled Scrap
Gold-filled material is a popular choice for jewelry and other items due to its durability and affordability compared to solid gold, while still offering a genuine gold appearance. It's created by bonding a layer of gold alloy to a base metal (like brass or copper) using heat and pressure. Unlike gold plating, which is a very thin layer that can wear off quickly, gold-filled items have a much thicker, more durable layer of gold.
Key Characteristics of Gold Filled:
Gold Content: By U.S. law, gold-filled items must contain at least 5% gold by weight. This is often indicated as a fraction, such as "1/20 10K GF," meaning 1/20th (5%) of the item's total weight is 10 karat gold. Other common markings include 1/10 12K GF (10% 12K gold).
Durability: The gold layer is significantly thicker than gold plating, making it much more resistant to tarnish and wear.
Value: While not as valuable as solid gold, gold-filled items do contain a recoverable amount of real gold, making them suitable for refining.
How the Calculator Works:
Our Gold Filled Scrap Value Calculator helps you estimate the potential payout for your gold-filled items by considering several crucial factors:
Total Weight of Gold Filled Scrap: This is the gross weight of all your gold-filled items in grams.
Karat of Gold Layer: This refers to the purity of the gold alloy used in the outer layer (e.g., 10K, 12K, 14K). Higher karat means higher gold purity.
Gold Content Percentage by Weight: This is the critical factor that differentiates gold-filled from solid gold. For example, if an item is marked "1/20 GF," it means 5% of its total weight is gold. You'll need to determine this percentage from the item's markings or typical industry standards.
Current Pure Gold Spot Price: The market price of 24-karat (pure) gold per gram. This fluctuates daily.
Refiner Payout Percentage: Refiners typically don't pay 100% of the pure gold's market value. This percentage accounts for their processing costs, profit margins, and any impurities. Payouts can range from 70% to 95% depending on the refiner and the volume of material.
The calculator first determines the actual weight of pure gold contained within your scrap, then calculates its market value, and finally applies the refiner's payout percentage to give you an estimated return.
Important Considerations:
Accurate Weighing: Use a precise scale to weigh your scrap.
Identifying Gold Filled: Look for markings like "GF," "1/20 10K GF," "1/10 12K GF," etc. Be careful not to confuse it with "GP" (gold plated) or "HGE" (heavy gold electroplate), which have negligible gold content.
Market Fluctuations: The spot price of gold changes constantly, so the estimated value is only valid for the moment of calculation.
Refiner Choice: Different refiners offer different payout percentages. It's always wise to get quotes from multiple reputable refiners.
Non-Gold Components: The calculator assumes the input weight is only the gold-filled material. If there are non-gold components (e.g., stones, steel clasps) that are not removed, the actual gold content will be lower.
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function calculateGoldFilledValue() {
var scrapWeightGrams = parseFloat(document.getElementById('scrapWeightGrams').value);
var goldKarat = parseFloat(document.getElementById('goldKarat').value);
var goldContentPercentage = parseFloat(document.getElementById('goldContentPercentage').value);
var spotPricePerGram = parseFloat(document.getElementById('spotPricePerGram').value);
var refinerPayoutPercentage = parseFloat(document.getElementById('refinerPayoutPercentage').value);
var resultDiv = document.getElementById('result');
resultDiv.innerHTML = "; // Clear previous results
// Input validation
if (isNaN(scrapWeightGrams) || scrapWeightGrams <= 0) {
resultDiv.innerHTML = 'Please enter a valid total weight for the scrap (must be a positive number).';
return;
}
if (isNaN(goldKarat) || goldKarat 24) {
resultDiv.innerHTML = 'Please enter a valid gold karat (between 8 and 24).';
return;
}
if (isNaN(goldContentPercentage) || goldContentPercentage 100) {
resultDiv.innerHTML = 'Please enter a valid gold content percentage (e.g., 5 for 1/20 GF).';
return;
}
if (isNaN(spotPricePerGram) || spotPricePerGram <= 0) {
resultDiv.innerHTML = 'Please enter a valid pure gold spot price per gram (must be a positive number).';
return;
}
if (isNaN(refinerPayoutPercentage) || refinerPayoutPercentage 100) {
resultDiv.innerHTML = 'Please enter a valid refiner payout percentage (between 1 and 100).';
return;
}
// Step 1: Convert Karat to Purity (decimal)
var karatPurity = goldKarat / 24;
// Step 2: Convert Gold Content Percentage to Decimal
var goldContentDecimal = goldContentPercentage / 100;
// Step 3: Convert Refiner Payout Percentage to Decimal
var payoutDecimal = refinerPayoutPercentage / 100;
// Step 4: Calculate Actual Pure Gold Weight in Grams
// Total Scrap Weight * Gold Content % (by weight) * Karat Purity
var pureGoldWeightGrams = scrapWeightGrams * goldContentDecimal * karatPurity;
// Step 5: Calculate Total Value of Pure Gold
var totalPureGoldValue = pureGoldWeightGrams * spotPricePerGram;
// Step 6: Calculate Estimated Payout
var estimatedPayout = totalPureGoldValue * payoutDecimal;
resultDiv.innerHTML =
'Calculated Gold Content: ' + pureGoldWeightGrams.toFixed(3) + ' grams of pure gold' +
'Total Pure Gold Value: $' + totalPureGoldValue.toFixed(2) + " +
'Estimated Payout Value:$' + estimatedPayout.toFixed(2) + '';
}