Silver Melt Value Calculator

92.5% -- the standard for flatware, jewelry, and most antique silver, usually stamped '925' or 'STERLING'. Bullion coins and bars are typically .999 fine or better, and pre-1965 U.S. coinage is 90%. Pick the right preset, because a 7-10% purity difference moves the melt value by the same amount.

It's the floor. Recognizable bullion (Eagles, Maple Leafs, name-brand bars) typically sells at a premium above melt, while sterling scrap sold to a refiner brings somewhat below melt after refining costs. Either way, knowing the melt number keeps the negotiation honest.

No. Silverplated items carry only a microns-thick layer of silver over a base metal -- there's typically well under a gram of actual silver in a plated serving piece, and refiners generally won't buy plate for its silver content. This calculator is for solid silver only.

For .999 fine bullion it shouldn't -- stated weight and silver content are essentially the same. But 90% coins and sterling pieces weigh more than the silver they contain, since the balance is copper alloy. Enter total weight and the correct purity, and the calculator isolates the silver.