What Is Sterling Silver?
Sterling silver is an alloy containing 92.5% silver and 7.5% other metals (usually copper). It's the most common silver alloy used in jewelry, flatware, and decorative items worldwide. The "925" stamp you see on silver items indicates sterling silver purity.
How to Identify Sterling Silver
- Look for hallmarks: "925", "STER", "STERLING", or a lion passant (UK)
- Sterling silver is slightly harder than fine silver due to the copper content
- It tarnishes more readily than fine silver
- A magnet test can help — silver is not magnetic
For a deeper dive, read our guide: What Is Sterling Silver?
How This Calculator Works
Enter your item's weight and select the unit. The calculator multiplies your weight by 92.5% (sterling purity) to find the pure silver content, then applies the live spot price from COMEX. The result is the melt value — what the silver is worth based on its metal content alone.
Note: dealers typically pay 70–90% of melt value. Use our Scrap Silver Calculator to estimate actual dealer payout.
Sterling Silver Price Per Gram Today
The live sterling silver price per gram is shown in the calculator above, updated automatically. Because sterling is 92.5% pure, its gram value is always 92.5% of the fine silver spot price.