What do 24K and 22K actually mean? Why is gold priced per 10 grams in India? And why is the jeweller's price always higher than the chart? Everything, in plain English.
As of 11 September 2026, the indicative market rates are:
These are indicative market rates for the gold itself. Your jeweller's final price will be higher โ we'll explain exactly why below. For the live rate right now, see the gold price chart (it auto-detects India and shows INR per 10 grams).
"Karat" (spelled "carat" in Commonwealth English โ same thing) measures gold purity in 24 parts. 24K means 24 out of 24 parts are gold: 99.9% pure. 22K means 22 parts gold and 2 parts other metals like copper or silver: 91.6% pure. 18K is 18 parts gold: 75% pure.
The other metals aren't filler to cheat you โ they're what make gold usable. Pure 24K gold is remarkably soft: you can dent it with a fingernail. Mixed with a little alloy, gold becomes strong enough to survive daily wear.
| Karat | Purity | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| 24K | 99.9% | Coins & bars (investment) |
| 22K | 91.6% | Jewellery in India (standard) |
| 18K | 75.0% | Diamond-studded & daily-wear jewellery |
| 14K | 58.5% | Western-style fine jewellery |
For jewellery you wear: 22K. It's the Indian standard for a reason โ durable enough for bangles, chains and necklaces, while still 91.6% pure gold. A 24K bangle would bend and scratch within weeks of daily wear.
For investment: 24K. Coins and bars are bought for maximum gold content per rupee, and they sit in a locker rather than on a wrist โ so softness doesn't matter. When you sell, 24K fetches the highest price per gram.
The price maths is simple: 22K gold costs 22/24 of the 24K price for the same weight. So if 24K is โน1,34,940 per 10g, 22K is roughly โน1,23,695 โ exactly 91.6%.
It's simply India's market convention โ just as the US quotes gold per troy ounce and Dubai quotes per gram. It traces back to the tola, the traditional South Asian weight (1 tola = 11.66 grams). When India standardised on metric, 10 grams became the round-number quote everyone โ bullion dealers, jewellers, newspapers โ uses.
So when someone says "gold is at one lakh thirty-five thousand," they mean per 10 grams of 24K, before taxes and making charges. Now you know.
There isn't a separate "Indian gold price" โ it's derived from the international price in three steps:
That's exactly what our chart does automatically when it detects you're in India. Two things move your local rate every day: the international gold price and the rupee-dollar exchange rate.
The chart shows the indicative market rate for pure gold. Your final bill adds:
Before you buy, check three things: the BIS hallmark (mandatory on gold jewellery sold in India โ look for the BIS logo, a purity mark like "22K916", and the 6-digit HUID number), the day's per-10-gram rate for your karat, and the making-charge percentage. Making charges vary far more between shops than the gold rate itself โ that's where comparing pays off.
๐ช Check today's rate live
INR per 10 grams, 24K and 22K, updated daily โ auto-detected for India.
See today's gold rate โAs of 11 September 2026, the indicative market rate is about โน1,34,940 per 10 grams for 24K gold and about โน1,23,695 per 10 grams for 22K. Retail jeweller prices are higher because they add GST, making charges and margins. Check the live gold chart for today's rate.
24K gold is 99.9% pure gold; 22K is 91.6% pure (22 parts gold, 2 parts alloy). Pure 24K is too soft for jewellery, so 22K is India's standard for ornaments. 22K costs about 91.6% of the 24K price for the same weight.
It's India's long-standing market convention, descended from the traditional tola (11.66 grams). Every bullion dealer, jeweller and newspaper in India quotes per 10 grams, so the whole country compares prices on the same basis.
22K for anything you wear โ it's durable while staying 91.6% pure. 24K for coins and bars bought as investment, where you want maximum gold content and softness doesn't matter.
The market rate covers pure gold only. Your jeweller adds 3% GST on the gold value, making charges (labour) with 5% GST on those charges, and their margin โ so the final bill is always higher than the chart price.
Three things: the BIS hallmark (BIS logo + purity mark like 22K916 + 6-digit HUID โ it's mandatory), the day's gold rate per 10 grams for your karat, and the making charges disclosed separately. Compare making charges across shops; they vary far more than the gold rate.