Scrap Silver
Calculator
How much is scrap silver worth today?
Scrap silver is worth its silver content multiplied by today's live spot price of $— per troy ounce. The exact value depends on purity (Sterling 925 = 92.5% of spot; Fine 999 = 99.9%; Coin 900 = 90%; European 800 = 80%) and weight.
Enter your item's weight and purity into the calculator above for an instant result — or see today's full silver price breakdown →
Silver Prices by Purity Grade
All values auto-update from the live spot price. Click any card for a dedicated purity calculator.
Popular Silver Searches Answered
What is 925 silver worth?
Sterling silver (925) is worth $—/g or $—/oz at today's live spot price.
Full 925 calculator →Sterling silver melt value
Formula: weight × 0.925 × spot. A 5g sterling ring is worth ~$— in melt value today.
Sterling calculator →Coin silver value (pre-1965)
Pre-1965 US coins are 90% silver, worth $—/oz at today's spot price.
Coin silver calculator →Try a Real-World Example
How to Calculate Scrap Silver Value
Example: 100g sterling at $30/oz = 100 ÷ 31.1035 × 0.925 × $30 = $89.21 · Full melt value guide →
What Dealers Actually Pay for Scrap Silver
Melt value is the ceiling — not what you receive. Here's the realistic payout by dealer type.
What Is Scrap Silver — and How Is It Valued?
What Is Scrap Silver — and Why Does It Have Value?
Scrap silver is any solid silver object valued for its precious metal content rather than its craftsmanship or collectibility — broken jewelry, mismatched flatware, worn coins, industrial components, even dental silver. If it contains measurable silver, it has real calculable value tied directly to the global spot price.
Silver's value is intrinsic: a bent ring holds the same silver value as a bullion bar of equal weight and purity. Refiners purchase scrap, melt and purify it, then return it to market as investment-grade bullion or industrial feedstock.
What qualifies? Broken jewelry (rings, necklaces, bracelets), sterling flatware (spoons, trays, tea sets), pre-1965 US coins, bullion bars and rounds, antique frames. The critical distinction is solid silver vs. silver-plated. Items marked EPNS, Silver Plate, or Sheffield Plate have only a microscopic coating — negligible scrap value.
Full guide: what counts as scrap silver →Understanding Silver Purity: What 999, 925, 900 and 800 Mean
Purity is measured in parts per thousand. A 999-stamped item is 99.9% pure silver. A 925-stamped piece contains 925 parts silver per 1,000 — the remaining 75 parts are copper for durability. Purity directly multiplies your melt value.
- 999 Fine Silver — 99.9% pure. Bullion bars, modern investment coins. Highest melt value. Stamped .999 or 999.
- 925 Sterling Silver — 92.5% pure. Most jewelry, flatware, decorative items worldwide. Stamped 925 or STERLING.
- 900 Coin Silver — 90% pure. Pre-1965 US dimes, quarters, halves, and dollars. Identified by coin date, not stamp.
- 800 European Silver — 80% pure. German, Dutch, Italian, and Scandinavian silverware. Stamped 800 with regional marks.
How to Test If Silver Is Real
Not sure if your item is genuine solid silver? Use these three tests before calculating value.
Silver Purity & Hallmark Reference
Before calculating value, identify your silver's purity. Most items carry a stamp or hallmark indicating their metal content — use these reference tables to decode it.
Silver Purity Grades at a Glance
| Purity | Hallmark | Silver Content | Typical Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fine Silver | .999 / .9999 | 99.9%+ | Bullion bars, rounds, some modern coins |
| Sterling Silver | .925 or "Sterling" | 92.5% | Jewelry, flatware, candlesticks, older coins |
| Coin Silver | .900 | 90% | Pre-1965 US dimes, quarters, half dollars, dollars |
| 800 Silver | .800 | 80% | European and vintage jewelry, some decorative items |
| 500 Silver | .500 | 50% | War-era coinage, certain commemorative pieces |
Common Silver Hallmarks Explained
| Mark | Meaning | Value Context |
|---|---|---|
| 925 / "Sterling" | 92.5% pure silver | Standard for high-quality jewelry and flatware |
| 999 / "Fine Silver" | 99.9% pure silver | Investment-grade bullion; softer, tarnishes easily |
| 900 | 90% pure silver | Common in pre-1965 US circulation coins |
| 800 | 80% pure silver | Frequently found in European vintage pieces |
| Coin | 90% pure silver | Historic US coinage shorthand |
| EPNS | Electroplated Nickel Silver | No silver value — base metal with thin plating |
| German Silver | Nickel-copper alloy | No silver content despite the name |
Pro tip: If you can't find a hallmark, a jeweler or precious-metal dealer can perform an acid test or X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis to determine purity accurately.
Scrap Silver Value — Real-World Examples
See exactly how the melt-value formula works on common items, step by step, at a $30.00/oz spot price.
Step-by-Step: Sterling Silver Bracelet (50 g)
- Convert grams to troy ounces: 50 ÷ 31.1035 = 1.608 troy oz
- Apply purity: 1.608 × 0.925 (sterling) = 1.487 troy oz of pure silver
- Multiply by spot: 1.487 × $30.00 = $44.61 melt value
🪙 Junk Silver Coin Bag
A standard $1,000 face-value bag of pre-1965 US 90% silver coins contains roughly 715–720 troy oz of pure silver.
≈ $21,450 – $21,600🍴 Sterling Flatware Set
A 12-place setting (48 pieces) at ~2,000 g total: 2,000 g = 64.30 troy oz × 0.925 = 59.48 oz pure silver.
≈ $1,784.40🧱 999 Silver Bullion Bar
A 10 oz .999 fine silver bar holds exactly 10 troy oz of pure silver (bullion usually sells at a premium over spot).
= $300.00What Moves Silver Prices
The spot price is the immediate-delivery value of one troy ounce of .999 fine silver. Five forces drive it.
Industrial Demand
Solar panels, electronics, medical equipment, and batteries consume roughly 50% of annual silver production.
Investment Demand
ETFs, bullion coins, and bars drive price surges during periods of economic uncertainty.
Mining Supply
Over 70% of silver comes as a byproduct of copper, lead, and zinc mining — limiting supply response.
Currency Strength
Silver typically trades inversely to the US dollar; a weaker dollar lifts silver prices.
Inflation Expectations
Precious metals have historically served as a hedge against inflation and currency devaluation.
Interesting Facts About Silver
Best Conductor
Silver has the highest electrical and thermal conductivity of all metals, making it irreplaceable in electronics and solar technology.
Ancient Currency
Silver has served as money for over 4,000 years — longer than any other form of currency.
Medical Properties
Silver's antimicrobial properties make it valuable in wound dressings and water purification.
Photographic Legacy
Before digital cameras, photography consumed nearly 25% of annual silver production.
Above-Ground Scarcity
Though more abundant than gold in the crust, most mined silver is consumed industrially — leaving little investment-grade stockpile.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Direct answers about scrap silver valuation.
Scrap silver is worth its silver content times the live spot price. Sterling (925) = 92.5% of spot, coin silver (900) = 90%, fine silver (999) = 99.9%. Use the calculator above for an exact result.
Multiply weight in troy ounces by purity (decimal) and the spot price. Formula: Value = Weight × Purity × Spot Price. The calculator above handles all unit conversions automatically.
Spot price is the global market price for pure 999 fine silver per troy ounce. Melt value is what your specific item is worth based on its actual silver content: spot price × purity decimal.
Most dealers pay 70–95% of melt value. Online refiners offer the most (90–98%), pawn shops the least (50–70%). See our full selling guide to maximize your payout.
A troy ounce is 31.1035 grams — the standard unit for precious metals globally. It is about 10% heavier than a regular avoirdupois ounce (28.35 g).
Check for hallmarks (925, 999, STERLING, 800). Silver is not magnetic. For certainty, use a silver acid test kit ($10–20). See the full testing guide →
Very little. Silver-plated items (EPNS, Silver Plate, Sheffield Plate) have only a microscopic silver coating and negligible scrap value. Only solid silver items are worth calculating.
Our spot price refreshes every hour from multiple market sources (GoldAPI.io, metals.live, goldprice.org), served via global CDN for instant page loads.
The calculator accepts grams, pennyweight (dwt), standard ounces, and troy ounces. For accuracy, weigh scrap silver in grams or troy ounces. Remember: 1 troy ounce = 31.1035 grams = 20 pennyweight.
A typical sterling ring weighing 5 grams contains 4.625 grams of pure silver (5 g × 0.925). At a $30.00/oz spot price that's about $4.46 in melt value; a dealer might offer $3.50–$4.20 depending on their payout rate.
Junk silver refers to pre-1965 US coins with 90% silver content (dimes, quarters, half dollars, and dollars) that have no collectible value beyond their metal. Despite the name, junk silver is highly liquid among investors and dealers.
A pre-1965 Washington quarter weighs 6.25 grams and is 90% silver — that's 5.625 grams (0.1808 troy oz) of pure silver per coin. At $30.00/oz, each quarter holds about $5.43 in melt value.
In the United States it is currently legal to melt silver coins for their metal content. However, melting pennies and nickels for their copper and nickel is prohibited under 31 CFR § 82.1 because their commodity value exceeds face value. Laws vary by country.
Scrap silver is any silver item sold for its refining value. Sterling silver specifically means 92.5% pure (marked .925). All sterling can be scrap silver, but scrap also includes other purities like .999 fine, .900 coin, and .800 European silver.
Silver Scrap Calculator: Get an Instant Payout Estimate
A silver scrap calculator takes three inputs — the weight of your silver, its purity (stamped as a hallmark like 925, 999, or 800), and the live silver spot price — and tells you the melt value in seconds. The calculator at the top of this page does exactly that, pulling a real-time price from the market so your estimate is never based on yesterday's numbers.
Whether you're selling old silverware, sterling jewellery, coins, or bullion bars, the melt value is the starting point every dealer uses to make an offer. Most dealers pay between 70% and 95% of melt depending on the item type, the quantity you're selling, and their margin requirements. Use this silver scrap calculator to know your number before you walk in — sellers who arrive with a figure in mind almost always negotiate a better payout.
⚙️ Methodology & Sources
📡 Price Sources
GoldAPI.io (primary), metals.live, goldprice.org. Multiple sources prevent stale data.
⏱ Update Frequency
Prices refresh every 60 min via Vercel Edge CDN. Instant load with current data.
🧮 Formula
Melt Value = Weight (troy oz) × Purity × Spot. 1 troy oz = 31.1035 g.
⚠️ Disclaimer
Informational estimates only. Actual dealer payouts vary by buyer and quantity.