Scrap and jewelry value
Sterling silver price today
Sterling is 925 parts silver per thousand — the standard for flatware, holloware and silver jewelry. Karat is a gold measure and is never used for silver.
Melt value per gram
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Sterling silver · .925 fine
- Fineness
- .925
- Also stamped
- 925, STER, STG
- Silver spot
- —
- Per troy ounce
- —
The silver price shown was recorded when this page was published. Figures calculated from it appear once the live price loads, so nothing here is worked out from a number the market may have left behind.
What you will actually be offered
Weigh only the silver. Stones, clasps and any other metal are deducted — a refiner pays for metal content, not for the piece.
Melt value
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Refiner or mail-in buyer80–90% of melt
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Local jeweler60–75% of melt
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Pawn shop40–60% of melt
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Per 10 g of Sterling silver. Melt is a ceiling, not a price — it is the metal content before any buyer’s margin, refining loss or handling. We do not collect scrap buy-back prices from anyone; these ranges are typical of the US market and are guidance, not quotes. Get more than one offer.
Common weights
| Weight | Melt value | Refiner or mail-in buyer (80–90%) | Pawn shop (40–60%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 gA thin ring | — | — | — |
| 5 gA wedding band | — | — | — |
| 10 gA light chain | — | — | — |
| 20 gA heavy chain | — | — | — |
| 1 oztA troy ounce | — | — | — |
Before you sell
Silver payouts are proportionally worse than gold: refining costs are much the same per lot, so they eat a far bigger share of a low-value metal. Weigh a whole canteen of flatware before deciding it is worth posting.
Weigh everything yourself before you go, and get more than one offer. The spread between a refiner and a pawn counter on the same piece is routinely larger than the entire premium difference this site tracks between bullion dealers.
How this is calculated
Grams ÷ 31.1035 × .925 × the live silver spot price. Nothing is rounded until it is displayed, and no figure is shown at all when spot is unavailable or the feed is delayed.
Millesimal fineness counts parts per thousand, so sterling is 925 parts silver to 75 parts copper. Karat is a gold measure and is never used for silver.
Common questions
- How much silver is in Sterling silver?
- Sterling is 925 parts silver per thousand — a fineness of .925. Its melt value is that fraction of what the same weight of pure silver would be worth. The same grade is stamped 925 or STER or STG on European pieces.
- Will a buyer pay me the melt value of my Sterling silver?
- No. Melt value is the ceiling, not the offer. A refiner or mail-in buyer typically pays 80–90% of melt, a jeweller less, and a pawn counter considerably less again — they carry the refining cost and the price risk in between. Getting more than one quote usually moves the number further than shopping the spot price ever could.
- How do I weigh Sterling silver correctly?
- Weigh the metal only. Stones, clasps and any non-silver parts are deducted, because a refiner pays for metal content and not for the piece. Use a scale that reads grams, and remember that a kitchen scale's ounce is 28.35 grams, not the 31.1035 gram troy ounce silver is priced in.