Gold purity and karats
The price of gold depends not only on weight but on purity — the share of pure gold it contains. This guide explains what purity and karats mean, how 24K, 22K, 18K and 14K gold differ, and how to read buy and sell prices.
Purity and karat table
| Purity | Karat | Pure gold | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 999.9 | 24K | 99.99% | Bullion and investment gold |
| 995 | 24K | 99.50% | Bullion bars |
| 958 | 23K | 95.80% | |
| 916 | 22K | 91.60% | Gold coins and jewellery |
| 900 | 21.6K | 90% | |
| 875 | 21K | 87.50% | |
| 750 | 18K | 75% | Jewellery and watches |
| 585 | 14K | 58.50% | One of the most common jewellery standards |
| 500 | 12K | 50% | |
| 416 | 10K | 41.60% | |
| 375 | 9K | 37.50% | |
| 333 | 8K | 33.30% |
What is gold purity?
Purity (fineness) states how many of every 1000 parts of an alloy are pure gold. 585 gold contains 58.5% gold; the remaining 41.5% is other metals, usually silver, copper, zinc or palladium. 999.9 is practically pure gold: 99.99%.
In Armenian, purity is called «հարգ» (harg); in Russian, «проба» (proba).
What is a karat?
A karat expresses the same share in 24 parts. 24K is pure gold, 18K is 18/24 or 75%, and 14K is 14/24, about 58.3%. In the trade, 14K is matched to 585 purity.
The gold karat (K) is not the gemstone carat (ct), which is a unit of weight equal to 0.2 g.
24K vs 22K vs 18K vs 14K gold
24K (999.9, 995): practically pure gold. It is soft and easily scratched or bent, so it is used mainly for bullion bars and investment gold.
22K (916): 91.6% gold, with a rich yellow colour. Used for gold coins and traditional jewellery.
18K (750): 75% gold. Harder than higher purities and widely used in fine jewellery and watches.
14K (585): 58.5% gold. Durable and wear-resistant; one of the most common jewellery standards in Armenia and Russia.
The other metals in the alloy also set the colour: copper gives a reddish tone, while palladium or nickel give white gold.
How purity affects the price
The price per gram is roughly proportional to the pure gold content: a gram of 585 gold costs about 58% of a gram of 999.9 gold. Actual prices can differ slightly, because each purity is priced separately.
The "Gold purity comparison" section of the site shows the content of each purity and its current price relative to 999.9.
Buy and sell prices
The buy price is what you receive when you sell your gold; the sell price is what you pay to buy it. The sell price is always higher, and the difference — the spread — is what it would cost to buy and immediately sell back the same gold.
Grams and troy ounces
Local prices are usually quoted per gram. World market prices for precious metals are quoted per troy ounce: 1 troy ounce is 31.1035 g, heavier than the ordinary ounce (28.35 g).
Currency conversion
Gold is priced in US dollars on the world market, so its price in dram, rubles or euros also moves with exchange rates, even when the dollar price stays the same. On 24k.am, values marked ≈ are converted from US dollars at the exchange rate supplied by the data source.
Frequently asked questions
- Is 999 gold different from 999.9 gold?
- Both are 24K. 999.9 ("four nines") contains 99.99% gold and 999 contains 99.9%. The difference is small, but each purity is priced separately.
- Are 585 and 583 gold the same?
- 583 is an older standard that, like 585, corresponds to 14K. Their gold content differs by 0.2%.
- How can I tell the purity of a piece of jewellery?
- Purity is usually stamped on the piece as a number (for example 585 or 750) or in karats (14K, 18K). Only a professional assay can determine the exact content.