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Dental Gold Scrap Value Calculator

Enter the weight of an old gold crown or bridge, the type of alloy and today's gold price. See the melt value of the gold inside and a realistic range of what a buyer may pay.

Example shown: a 3 g high noble crown. Enter your own numbers.

Weigh only the metal if you can. Porcelain, cement and tooth add weight but no gold. A 1985 patent puts a cast precious-metal crown at 1 to 3 grams.

Unit

$/ troy oz

Example: $4,319, the World Bank's September 2026 average. Look up today's price, for example on the World Gold Council's gold price page. This tool doesn't fetch prices.

Share of the melt value the buyer pays
%
%

Example: 70% to 90%. Payouts vary by buyer, so ask each buyer for its percentage and fees in writing.

Realistic payout

Estimate

–

Melt value of the gold–
Pure gold inside–
Gold price per gram–

Refiners also pay for platinum, palladium and silver. This estimate counts gold only, so a noble alloy rich in palladium can be worth more than shown.

Before you sell: a safety checklist

  1. Ask for your crown or tooth back before treatment. The CDC says extracted teeth can be returned to patients on request. Ask your dentist the same about a removed crown.
  2. Weigh it yourself before you sell, so you can check the buyer's scale (New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs).
  3. Get at least three offers, and don't trust quotes over the phone (New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs).
  4. Ask for a written assay showing the gold and other metals found. Every dental alloy is different, so only an assay shows what's in yours (Australian Dental Association).
  5. Get the payout percentage and all fees in writing before the metal is melted. Once it's melted, you have little recourse if you don't like the offer (FTC).
  6. Be careful with mail-in services, and don't let your items out of your sight in person (New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs).

How much is an old gold crown worth?

For a single crown, the gold inside is usually worth tens to a few hundred dollars. A dental crown is small, and dental "gold" is an alloy: gold mixed with other metals. A 1985 US patent puts a cast precious-metal crown at 1 to 3 grams. With the example in the calculator (3 grams of a high noble alloy at $4,319 an ounce), the gold inside is worth about $167–$312 at melt value. A buyer pays a share of that.

Three things set the value:

  • Weight of the metal. Weigh only the metal if you can. Porcelain, cement and tooth add weight but no gold.
  • How much of it is gold. This depends on the alloy, and it's the biggest unknown.
  • Today's gold price, which changes every day.

How this tool works

The calculator follows the same steps a refiner's math does, but with a range for the gold content:

  1. Convert the weight to grams. 1 pennyweight = 1.55517384 g and 1 troy ounce = 31.1034768 g (NIST).
  2. Find the pure gold inside: grams × gold share. For a high noble alloy the tool uses 40% to 75%.
  3. Price the gold: pure grams × (gold price per troy ounce ÷ 31.1034768). That's the melt value.
  4. Apply the payout: melt value × the buyer's percentage. The low end uses the lowest gold share and your lowest offer. The high end uses the highest of each.

Honest limits:

  • The gold-content range is wide because dental alloys vary so much. Only an assay tells you what's in yours.
  • It counts gold only. Refiners also pay for platinum, palladium and silver, so some alloys are worth more than shown.
  • The example payout of 70–90% is only an example. We found no independent survey of what refiners pay, and buyers set their own terms.
  • It doesn't fetch prices. Enter today's price yourself.

Dental alloy types and how much gold they hold

In 2003 the ADA's Council on Scientific Affairs sorted dental casting alloys by their share of noble metals. Noble metals are gold and the platinum-group metals (platinum, palladium, iridium, rhodium, osmium and ruthenium).

ADA typeNoble metal contentGold contentRange this tool uses
High nobleAt least 60%At least 40%40–75%
NobleAt least 25%No minimum0–60%
Predominantly baseLess than 25%Under 25%Enter an assay figure instead

Where the ranges come from:

  • High noble. 40% is the ADA minimum. The most commonly used alloys for gold inlays and onlays are based on 65–75% gold (Knosp 2003), so the tool stops at 75%. A few alloys hold more.
  • Noble. These have no gold requirement. Palladium- and silver-based alloys hold only about 0.1–15% gold, while lower-gold alloys hold 40–60% (Knosp 2003). An alloy with 60% gold or more would count as high noble, so the tool stops at 60%.
  • Unknown. Anything from no gold at all to a high-gold alloy. The Australian Dental Association has noted that one bridge may hold 17% gold and another up to 50%.

Not sure which yours is? Your dentist's records or the lab invoice may name the alloy. Color alone can't tell you the gold content: every dental alloy is different, and only an assay shows what's in it (Australian Dental Association). If you know the karat, divide it by 24: 18K is 75% gold (FTC).

Grams, pennyweight and troy ounces

Gold is priced in troy ounces, not the ordinary ounce you use for food. Dental labs and refiners often use pennyweight.

UnitIn gramsNotes
1 gram1
1 pennyweight (dwt)1.5551738424 grains
1 troy ounce (oz t)31.103476820 pennyweight

These are the NIST values. To turn a price per troy ounce into a price per pennyweight, divide it by 20 (NIST).

Where to find today's gold price

The benchmark gold price is set twice a day in London, in US dollars per troy ounce, and run by ICE Benchmark Administration (LBMA). The LBMA says getting or using the benchmark data itself needs a license from the administrator, so check a financial news site or a public price page instead. The World Gold Council publishes gold prices, and the World Bank publishes free monthly averages. The calculator's example uses the World Bank's September 2026 average of $4,319 per troy ounce.

Can you get your old crown back?

Ask before your treatment, not after. The CDC says extracted teeth can be returned to patients on request, and once returned they're no longer covered by OSHA's bloodborne pathogens rules. We found no national rule that covers removed crowns specifically, so a quick question at your appointment is the way to settle it.

How to sell dental gold safely

Consumer protection officials give the same advice for dental gold as for jewelry:

  • Weigh it yourself before you sell (New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs).
  • Get at least three offers, and don't rely on quotes over the phone.
  • Ask for an assay. Every dental alloy is different, and an assay is the only way to know what's in it (Australian Dental Association).
  • Get the payout percentage and fees in writing before anything is melted. The FTC has heard complaints that some online buyers give a price only if asked and pay only after melting the items. Once that happens, you have little recourse.
  • Be careful with mail-in services, and don't let your items out of your sight when you sell in person.

Replacing the tooth the old crown came from? Compare the long-run cost of an implant, a bridge and a partial denture with the Tooth Replacement Cost Comparison, and check what your plan pays with the Dental Insurance Calculator.

Frequently asked questions

How much is a gold tooth crown worth?
It depends on how much the metal weighs, how much gold it holds and today's gold price. A 1985 US patent puts a cast precious-metal crown at 1 to 3 grams. At 3 grams of a high noble alloy (40–75% gold) and $4,319 per troy ounce, the gold inside is worth about $167–$312 at melt value. A buyer pays a share of that.
How much gold is in a dental crown?
It varies. Under the ADA's classification, high noble alloys contain at least 40% gold, and the most common golds for inlays and onlays hold 65–75% (Knosp 2003). Noble alloys have no gold minimum: palladium- and silver-based alloys hold only about 0.1–15% gold (Knosp 2003). The Australian Dental Association has noted that one bridge may hold 17% gold and another up to 50%.
Can I get my gold crown back from the dentist?
Ask before your treatment. The CDC says extracted teeth can be returned to patients on request. We found no national rule that covers removed crowns specifically, so ask your dentist what their office does.
How many grams are in a pennyweight?
One pennyweight (dwt) is 1.55517384 grams, and 20 pennyweight make one troy ounce, which is 31.1034768 grams (NIST). Gold prices are quoted per troy ounce, not the ordinary ounce.
Why is a buyer's offer lower than the melt value?
Buyers pay a share of the metal's value and may take fees for refining or testing. The FTC has heard complaints that some online buyers only give a price if asked and pay only after the items are melted. Try to get three offers before you sell, and don't rely on quotes over the phone (New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs).

Sources

  1. American Dental Association (ADA Library). Materials for Indirect Restorations. updated November 11, 2025. Table 2: ADA dental alloy classification (ADA Council on Scientific Affairs, 2003). The page marks this content as archived. Accessed October 26, 2026.
  2. Knosp H, Holliday RJ, Corti CW. Gold Bulletin 36(3):93–102. Gold in dentistry: alloys, uses and performance. 2003. Open-access full text. Table 1 lists the gold content of each dental alloy group. Two authors worked for the World Gold Council, an industry body. Accessed October 26, 2026.
  3. Dental Tribune International. ADA offers advice on how to handle dental scrap. September 27, 2019. Advice from the Australian Dental Association. Accessed October 26, 2026.
  4. US Patent 4,492,579 (Google Patents). Dental jacket crown, coping and method of construction. 1985. States that a precious-metal cast crown weighs from one to three grams. Accessed October 26, 2026.
  5. National Institute of Standards and Technology. NIST Handbook 44 (2026), Appendix C: General Tables of Units of Measurement. 2026. Accessed October 26, 2026.
  6. National Institute of Standards and Technology, Office of Weights and Measures. Conversion Factors for Precious Metal Sales. revised 2015. Accessed October 26, 2026.
  7. World Bank. World Bank Commodities Price Data (The Pink Sheet), October 2026. October 2, 2026. Gold, September 2026 monthly average: $4,319 per troy ounce. Used for the example price only. Accessed October 26, 2026.
  8. World Bank. Commodity Markets. Free monthly price averages. Accessed October 26, 2026.
  9. World Gold Council. Gold Spot Prices & Market History. An industry body's public price page. Prices are per troy ounce. Accessed October 26, 2026.
  10. LBMA. About LBMA Daily Auction Prices. The benchmark gold price is set twice daily in US dollars per troy ounce, administered by ICE Benchmark Administration. Accessed October 26, 2026.
  11. LBMA. LBMA Precious Metal Prices. A licence from IBA is required to obtain, use or redistribute real-time or historical benchmark data. Accessed October 26, 2026.
  12. New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs, Office of Weights and Measures. Selling Your Precious Metals and Jewelry. 2014. Accessed October 26, 2026.
  13. Federal Trade Commission. FTC Testifies on Measures to Protect Consumers Who Sell Their Jewelry and Consumers Who Want to Avoid Buying Fur. May 13, 2010. Accessed October 26, 2026.
  14. Federal Trade Commission (Consumer Advice). Buying Platinum, Gold, and Silver Jewelry. November 2024. Explains karats: 14K gold is 14 parts gold mixed with 10 parts of other metal. Accessed October 26, 2026.
  15. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Best Practices for Handling Extracted Teeth. December 15, 2023. Accessed October 26, 2026.

Last reviewed by the Dental Health Time editorial team, against the sources above. How we review.

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