Understanding Gold Purity: What Do Karats and Fineness Mean?
From 24K to 9K, gold purity can be confusing. This guide explains the difference between karats, fineness, and how purity affects the value and suitability of gold for investment or jewellery.
Gold purity is one of the most important factors affecting the value of gold jewellery, coins, and bars. Understanding how purity is measured helps you make informed decisions when buying or selling gold.
Gold purity is measured in two ways: karats (K) and fineness. Karats express purity as a fraction of 24 parts — 24K gold is pure gold (99.9%+), 18K is 75% gold, 14K is 58.3% gold, and 9K is 37.5% gold.
Fineness expresses purity as parts per thousand. Investment-grade gold bullion is typically .9999 fine (99.99% pure) or .999 fine (99.9% pure). Coins like the Australian Gold Nugget and Canadian Maple Leaf are .9999 fine.
For investment purposes, higher purity is generally better. .9999 fine gold bars and coins command the highest prices and are the most liquid. Lower-purity gold (such as 18K or 9K jewellery) contains other metals and is valued differently.
When selling gold to ChatsWood Gold, we assess purity using professional testing equipment. Our buyback prices are based on the gold content of your item, ensuring you receive a fair value regardless of the form your gold takes.