Get the best price for your Scrap Gold. Compare trusted UK buyers, check live values, and sell with confidence.
Scrap gold is any gold item sold purely for the value of its metal content, rather than for artistic, collectible, or sentimental worth. This includes broken jewellery, old chains, single earrings, bent rings, dental gold, watch cases, and any other gold items you no longer want. The value is calculated as weight multiplied by purity multiplied by the current gold spot price. In the UK, 9ct gold (37.5% pure) is the most commonly traded scrap carat, followed by 18ct (75%) and 22ct (91.67%). Dealers typically pay between 80% and 95% of the calculated melt value, with the wide range making it essential to compare offers from multiple buyers.
| Dealer | Item | They Pay |
|---|---|---|
| Hatton Garden Metals | 24ct Gold | £85.40per gram |
| Hatton Garden Metals | 22ct Gold | £78.23per gram |
| Hatton Garden Metals | 18ct Gold | £64.05per gram |
| Hatton Garden Metals | 14ct Gold | £49.96per gram |
| Hatton Garden Metals | 9ct Gold | £32.03per gram |
Prices updated daily from dealer websites. Last checked: 2026-10-09.
Enter weight and purity to get an instant estimate
Sort all items by carat — group 9ct, 14ct, 18ct, and 22ct separately. Check hallmarks on clasps, inner bands, and link tags.
Remove non-gold attachments: stones, glass, steel springs, leather straps, and plastic components. These add weight but dealers deduct them.
Weigh each carat group on digital scales. Even kitchen scales accurate to 1 gram give you a useful baseline for comparison.
Research the current scrap gold price per gram for each carat using our calculator. This tells you the maximum theoretical value before dealer margins.
Get at least three quotes — one from a local dealer, one from an online postal service, and one from a high-street chain — to ensure you get a fair price.
💡 Separate your gold by carat before getting a quote. Mixing 18ct with 9ct might lead to the whole lot being valued at the lower rate by unscrupulous buyers.
💡 Remove non-gold items like springs in clasps, stones, or heavy fillings if possible.
💡 Use a 'scrap gold calculator' to get a baseline idea of your items' worth before approaching dealers.
💡 Weigh your gold at home on kitchen scales to get an approximate value before approaching dealers.
💡 Online postal gold services consistently pay more than high-street shops — they have lower overheads and more competition.
Any gold item that is damaged, broken, unfashionable, or simply unwanted is considered scrap. This includes broken chains, odd earrings, scratched coins, dental gold, old watch cases, and even gold-plated items with thick enough plating. If it contains real gold and you want to sell it for metal value rather than as a collectible or piece of jewellery, it is scrap gold.
It is calculated based on the weight of the item, its purity (carat), and the current market spot price of gold. The formula is: weight in grams x purity percentage x spot price per gram = melt value. Dealers will deduct a margin from this melt value for their profit and refining costs. Specialist postal dealers pay 84-90% or more of melt value; be wary of anyone offering less than 80%.
UK hallmark numbers indicate the gold purity in parts per thousand. 375 means 9ct (37.5% pure gold), 585 means 14ct (58.5%), 750 means 18ct (75%), and 916 means 22ct (91.6%). You may also see 999 (24ct/99.9% pure) on gold bars and coins. The hallmark is usually found on clasps, inside ring bands, or on small tags attached to chains. Items marked GP (gold plated), GF (gold filled), or RGP (rolled gold plate) contain very little actual gold.
Most dealers accept any quantity, but some have minimum thresholds — typically £50-100 worth of gold — especially for postal services where packaging and insured delivery costs need to be covered. High-street shops usually accept any amount. If you have a very small quantity (under 5 grams), it may be worth collecting more before selling to maximise the rate you receive, as some dealers offer better per-gram rates for larger quantities.
Payment timescales vary by dealer type. High-street gold shops and pawnbrokers typically pay cash on the spot. Online postal services usually issue payment within 24-48 hours of receiving and testing your items, via bank transfer. Some offer same-day payment if items arrive before a cut-off time. Always check the dealer's payment terms before sending your gold, and use insured, tracked postage.
Insured postal kit · no-obligation valuation · paid same-day
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Taro has been actively investing in precious metals and financial markets for over 15 years. Frustrated by the lack of transparent, accurate gold pricing information in the UK, he built London Gold Exchange as a data-driven resource for fellow investors. The site combines real-time market data, verified dealer information from 190+ UK businesses, and insights drawn from years of hands-on experience in the gold market.
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