On 4 November 2026, gold traded at about $4,058 per troy ounce. That works out to $130.46 for one gram of 24K gold. A gram of 14K jewellery holds a lot less gold, so its gold value is only about $76. Most "gold price per gram" searches start here: the price you see on the news is for pure gold, but the ring, chain or bangle you're buying or selling almost never is.
This guide shows the gold price per gram for every common karat (24K, 22K, 21K, 18K, 14K and 10K) and the simple formula behind each figure. It also explains why the shop price per gram is always higher than the maths, and what you actually pay in Dubai, Saudi Arabia, India and Pakistan. 💡
Quick answer: Divide the price of one troy ounce by 31.1035 to get the 24K price per gram. Multiply that by the karat and divide by 24 to price any other karat. At $4,058 an ounce, that gives roughly $130 per gram for 24K, $120 for 22K, $98 for 18K and $76 for 14K, before making charges and tax. For today's figure, check the live gold price.
Gold Price per Gram by Karat Today
Here is how the gold value of each karat compares at the spot price on 4 November 2026 ($4,057.70 per ounce, FloatForex market data). These are melt values, meaning what the gold inside the metal is worth before any shop adds its margin.
| Karat | Gold content | Hallmark | Price per gram (USD) | Price per ounce (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24K | 99.9% | 999 | $130.46 | $4,057.70 |
| 22K | 91.6% | 916 | $119.59 | $3,719.56 |
| 21K | 87.5% | 875 | $114.15 | $3,550.49 |
| 18K | 75.0% | 750 | $97.84 | $3,043.27 |
| 14K | 58.5% | 585 | $76.10 | $2,366.99 |
| 10K | 41.7% | 417 | $54.36 | $1,690.71 |
Gold moves every few seconds while markets are open, and on 4 November it rose more than 3% in a single day. Treat this table as a worked example and check the gold price today before you buy or sell anything. ⏱️
How to Calculate the Gold Price per Gram for Any Karat
"Karat" measures purity in 24ths. 24K is pure gold (99.9% in practice), and 18K means 18 parts gold and 6 parts other metals such as silver, copper or palladium. Pricing any karat takes three steps:
- Convert the ounce price to grams. International gold prices are quoted per troy ounce, and as The Royal Mint explains, "One troy ounce is equal to 31.1035 grams" (The Royal Mint). So $4,057.70 ÷ 31.1035 = $130.46 per gram of 24K.
- Multiply by the karat fraction. For 18K: $130.46 × 18 ÷ 24 = $97.84 per gram.
- Multiply by the weight. A 5-gram 18K ring holds 5 × $97.84 = $489 of gold.
Here are the karat multipliers you can use with any currency:
| Karat | Multiplier (karat ÷ 24) | 5 g piece at $130.46/g (24K) |
|---|---|---|
| 24K | 1.000 | $652.30 |
| 22K | 0.9167 | $597.93 |
| 21K | 0.875 | $570.76 |
| 18K | 0.750 | $489.22 |
| 14K | 0.5833 | $380.50 |
Small detail, real money: the hallmark and the maths don't match exactly. 14 ÷ 24 is 58.33%, but 14K is stamped 585 (58.5%). 22 ÷ 24 is 91.67%, but 22K is stamped 916. The hallmark is the legal minimum the piece must contain, so using it gives the most accurate melt value. The difference is a few cents per gram, which adds up on a heavy chain. 🧮
In the US, the karat must be stated. Under the FTC's Jewelry Guides, the word "Gold" on its own shouldn't be used for a product "not composed throughout of fine (24 karat) gold". Solid gold items without solder may be at most "three parts per thousand" below their marked fineness (FTC Jewelry Guides, Federal Register 2018). For a deeper look at purity, colour and durability, read our gold karats explained guide.
24K, 22K, 18K and 14K Gold: What Each Karat Costs and Where It's Used
24K gold price per gram
24K is the benchmark that every other price is calculated from. It's soft and scratches easily, so it's mostly sold as bars and coins rather than jewellery. If you're buying gold as an investment, 24K gives you the most gold for your money because premiums on bars are low. Our guide on gold ETFs vs physical gold compares this with holding gold through a fund.
22K gold price per gram
22K (916) is the traditional jewellery standard in India and Pakistan and is widely sold in the Gulf. It's about 91.6% gold, so a gram costs roughly 8% less than 24K before making charges. Most wedding jewellery in South Asia is 22K, which is why the gold rate in India and the gold rate in Pakistan are both quoted for 22K as well as 24K.
21K gold price per gram
21K (875) is the Gulf favourite. Saudi jeweller L'azurde says that 21K "is by a wide margin the most popular choice in Saudi Arabia" (L'azurde). You'll find it as the headline rate on our gold price in Saudi Arabia page.
18K gold price per gram
18K (750) is the global standard for diamond and gem-set jewellery. It's hard enough to hold stones securely and still looks rich yellow. A gram costs about 25% less than 24K, and it's the most common karat for engagement rings worldwide.
14K gold price per gram
14K (585) is the everyday jewellery karat in the US and much of Europe. It's tough, cheaper and increasingly popular in markets that used to ignore it. Dubai published an official 14K rate for the first time in November 2025 (Khaleej Times). At $76 a gram, 14K costs well under two-thirds of the 24K price.
10K (417) is the lowest karat commonly sold as gold in the US. India also added 9K (375) to its mandatory hallmarking grades in July 2025 (Juris Hour), a sign of how far buyers are moving down the karat scale.
Gold Price per Gram in Dubai, Saudi Arabia, India and Pakistan
The same gram of gold costs a different amount in every currency. The table below converts the 4 November 2026 spot price into each local currency per gram. These are spot equivalents: they don't include import duty, VAT, GST, local premiums or making charges.
| Karat | UAE (AED/g) | Saudi Arabia (SAR/g) | India (INR/g) | Pakistan (PKR/g) | UK (GBP/g) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24K | 479.19 | 489.65 | 12,317 | 36,073 | 96.89 |
| 22K | 439.26 | 448.84 | 11,291 | 33,067 | 88.82 |
| 21K | 419.29 | 428.44 | 10,778 | 31,564 | 84.78 |
| 18K | 359.39 | 367.24 | 9,238 | 27,055 | 72.67 |
| 14K | 279.53 | 285.63 | 7,185 | 21,043 | 56.52 |
Local quoting habits differ too. 🌍
- UAE: Prices are quoted per gram in dirhams, and the dirham is pegged at 3.6725 to the dollar, so the Dubai rate follows the dollar price almost exactly. See the gold rate in Dubai today and our guide to buying gold in Dubai.
- Saudi Arabia: Prices are quoted per gram in riyals, with 21K as the main jewellery rate. Our guide to buying gold in Saudi Arabia covers VAT and what to check.
- India: Prices are usually quoted per 10 grams. At spot, 10 g of 24K would be about ₹1,23,175 and 22K about ₹1,12,910. Local rates sit above this because of import duty and 3% GST. Our article on how gold price is calculated in India walks through every step.
- Pakistan: Prices are quoted per tola (11.6638 g). At spot, a tola of 24K would be about Rs 420,752 and 22K about Rs 385,690. The sarafa rate can sit above or below this. Our article on how the gold rate is set in Pakistan explains why.
Wondering where gold is actually cheapest? Our comparison of the Dubai gold rate vs India and Pakistan does the maths, including how much gold you can bring home.
Why the Shop Price per Gram Is Higher Than the Formula
If you multiply the 24K price by 18 ÷ 24 and then visit a jeweller, the 18K price on the board will be higher. Three things are added on top of the melt value:
- Alloying and refining costs. Lower karats have to be mixed, cast and tested, and published karat rates carry part of that cost.
- Making charges. This is the jeweller's labour and design fee, charged per gram or as a percentage. It can range from a few percent on plain chains to 20% or more on detailed work.
- Tax. For example, 5% VAT in the UAE, 15% VAT in Saudi Arabia and 3% GST in India.
You can see the first point in Dubai's official rates. On the weekend before 29 November 2025, the Dubai Jewellery Group rates were Dh508.50 for 24K, Dh470.75 for 22K, Dh451.50 for 21K, Dh387 for 18K and Dh301.75 for 14K (Khaleej Times). Compare each with the 24K rate:
| Karat | Dubai rate (AED/g) | Share of the 24K rate | Pure karat maths | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22K | 470.75 | 92.6% | 91.7% | +0.9 pts |
| 21K | 451.50 | 88.8% | 87.5% | +1.3 pts |
| 18K | 387.00 | 76.1% | 75.0% | +1.1 pts |
| 14K | 301.75 | 59.3% | 58.3% | +1.0 pts |
In other words, a gram of 14K in Dubai costs about 1% more than its pure gold content suggests, before any making charge. That's normal and fair, but it means lower karats always lose a little when you sell, because buyers pay melt value only. Retailers are adapting anyway. As Vinay Jethwani of Meena Jewellers told Khaleej Times:
"We do understand the changing buying patterns and preferences among customers today."
Why Lower Karats Are Selling More in 2026
High prices have changed what people buy. In its latest quarterly report, the World Gold Council (WGC) found that "Jewellery demand fell 17% y/y to 313t, the weakest third quarter in our data series", even though the money spent rose 2% to US$43bn. The average gold price in the quarter was $4,262 per ounce (WGC, Gold Demand Trends Q3 2026).
"Consumers generally continued to favour lighter-weight and lower-carat purchases." (World Gold Council, Q3 2026)
The shift showed up almost everywhere:
| Market | Q3 2026 jewellery demand | Change vs Q3 2025 | What buyers did |
|---|---|---|---|
| India | 100 t | −20% | Moved to lighter, lower-carat and studded pieces; retailers promoted 18K, 14K and 9K |
| China | 66 t | −22% | Lightweight, design-led pieces stayed popular |
| Saudi Arabia | 8 t | −12% | Weak demand across the Middle East |
| UAE | 4 t | −29% | One of the sharpest falls in the world |
| Global | 313 t | −17% | Lighter weight, lower karat |
Source: WGC, Gold Demand Trends Q3 2026: Jewellery.
About the months ahead, WGC Senior Markets Analyst Louise Street said: "The outlook for gold looks finely balanced through to the end of the year" (WGC press release). For the bigger picture, read our gold price forecast for 2026. 📊
Gold Price per Gram Over the Last 10 Years
A gram of 24K gold cost about $41 in October 2016. Ten years later, it costs more than three times as much. The table uses the average price for October of each year:
| October | Avg price per ounce | 24K per gram | 22K per gram | 18K per gram | 14K per gram |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | $1,267 | $40.72 | $37.33 | $30.54 | $23.75 |
| 2018 | $1,215 | $39.08 | $35.82 | $29.31 | $22.79 |
| 2020 | $1,900 | $61.10 | $56.00 | $45.82 | $35.64 |
| 2022 | $1,664 | $53.51 | $49.05 | $40.13 | $31.22 |
| 2024 | $2,690 | $86.49 | $79.28 | $64.87 | $50.45 |
| 2025 | $4,058 | $130.48 | $119.61 | $97.86 | $76.11 |
| 2026 | $4,118 | $132.38 | $121.35 | $99.29 | $77.22 |
Source: FloatForex monthly gold price data, converted at 31.1035 g per troy ounce.
The path wasn't a straight line. Gold averaged about $5,193 an ounce in March 2026, or nearly $167 per gram of 24K, before falling back to around $4,100 in October. Anyone who bought jewellery at the spring peak is now holding gold worth roughly 20% less. 📉 You can explore the full history on our 50-year gold chart, and our guide Is gold a good inflation hedge? looks at what those decades mean for savers.
Before You Buy or Sell: A Short Checklist
- ✅ Read the hallmark first. Look for 999, 916, 875, 750 or 585 (or 24K, 22K, 21K, 18K, 14K). In India, hallmarked gold must also carry a 6-character HUID code, which you can verify in the BIS CARE app.
- ✅ Ask for the gold price and the making charge separately. That's the only way to compare two shops fairly.
- ✅ Weigh it. The price per gram means nothing without an accurate weight in grams, tolas or ounces.
- ✅ When selling, expect melt value minus a deduction. Making charges are rarely paid back, which is why bars and coins are the better pick if you're investing in gold.
- ✅ Check the live rate on the day. A 3% move like the one on 4 November changes the gold value of a 50-gram 22K set by about $180.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is 1 gram of 24K gold today?
Divide the current price per ounce by 31.1035. At $4,057.70 per ounce on 4 November 2026, one gram of 24K gold was worth $130.46. The live gold price page updates throughout the trading day.
How much is 14K gold worth per gram?
14K gold is 58.5% pure, so a gram is worth about 58.5% of the 24K price. That was about $76 per gram at $4,058 an ounce. Shops and buyers will pay less than this when you sell, and charge more when you buy.
Is 22K or 18K gold better value?
Per gram of pure gold, they're nearly the same. You pay for the gold either way. 22K holds its value better when sold because there's more gold in every gram, while 18K is harder and better for everyday wear and set stones.
Why is 22K gold marked 916?
Hallmarks show purity in parts per thousand. 916 means at least 916 parts in 1,000 are pure gold, or 91.6%. That's just under 22 ÷ 24 (91.67%).
How many grams are in a tola and a troy ounce?
A tola is 11.6638 grams and a troy ounce is 31.1035 grams. A troy ounce is about 10% heavier than the ordinary 28.35 g ounce used for food.
Sources
- World Gold Council: Gold Demand Trends Q3 2026
- World Gold Council: Q3 2026 Jewellery
- World Gold Council: Central bank buying and ETF inflows support gold demand in Q3
- The Royal Mint: What is a troy ounce?
- US Federal Trade Commission: Guides for the Jewelry, Precious Metals, and Pewter Industries (2018)
- Khaleej Times: 14K gold price revealed for first time in Dubai
- L'azurde: Gold karat guide
- Juris Hour: BIS rule on 9K gold hallmarking
Prices in this article are spot values on 4 November 2026 and are for information only. They are not an offer to buy or sell gold, and retail prices will differ.