Markets & Investing
Precious metals investment gain or loss
Use this precious metals investment gain or loss calculator to compare all-in acquisition cost with a spot-based resale scenario after fees.
Your inputs
Complete only the fields for your selected method. Use one consistent job or reporting period. Zero means intentionally zero, not unknown. Missing costs and market rates are not added automatically. Currency selection labels amounts; it does not convert exchange rates.
How this calculation works
gross resale = fine ounces × spot × bid percentage; net gain = gross resale × (1-selling fee) - fixed sale costs - acquisition cost
Contained-metal value only. No collectible premium, refining recovery, assay, taxes, transport or dealer bid is inferred. Purity must describe the weighed material. A troy ounce differs from an ordinary ounce. Net proceeds are a scenario, not a dealer quote. Positive returns are not assured; fixed charges can exceed sale proceeds. Educational arithmetic from entered figures, not an investment recommendation, valuation opinion, forecast or guarantee. Taxes, inflation and foreign-exchange changes are excluded unless explicitly entered. Use one currency throughout; currency selection only changes labels.
What information do I need?
Use records for the same job, equipment or accounting period. Only the fields for your selected entry method are required. An unknown amount is not zero.
Input definitions and where to find them
- Precious metal: Use matching records or an explicitly identified assumption for precious metal. Unknown is not the same as zero.
- Gross metal-item weight (selected unit): Use a scale reading. Exclude stones, packaging and nonmetal parts. Select grams, troy ounces, ordinary ounces or pennyweight explicitly.
- Unit of gross weight: Use matching records or an explicitly identified assumption for unit of gross weight. Unknown is not the same as zero.
- Fine-metal purity (%): Enter 92.5 for sterling, 75 for 18-karat gold, or 99.99 for .9999 fine metal. Karat / 24 × 100 gives nominal gold purity. Hallmarks are not an assay; plated items are unsuitable.
- Spot price per fine troy ounce (selected currency): Enter a dated dealer/market reference, or explicitly apply a refreshed Gold API quote above. This is a fine-metal reference, not a guaranteed buy or sell offer. Live quotes are USD only.
- Total acquisition cost including purchase fees (selected currency): Use matching records or an explicitly identified assumption for total acquisition cost including purchase fees. Unknown is not the same as zero.
- Dealer bid as percentage of contained spot value (%): Use matching records or an explicitly identified assumption for dealer bid as percentage of contained spot value. Unknown is not the same as zero.
- Selling fee on gross proceeds (%): Use matching records or an explicitly identified assumption for selling fee on gross proceeds. Unknown is not the same as zero.
- Fixed selling costs not in percentage fee (selected currency): Use matching records or an explicitly identified assumption for fixed selling costs not in percentage fee. Unknown is not the same as zero.
Use the Where to find this value controls beside the inputs for available work-it-out helpers. Estimates remain your assumptions; a helper does not verify the source figures.
Worked example
Example amounts use US dollars (USD).
Example answer: Net gain or loss in this resale scenario is $70.91 for the illustrative inputs below.
Example inputs
- Precious metal: Gold
- Gross metal-item weight: 31.1034768 selected unit
- Unit of gross weight: Grams
- Fine-metal purity: 99.99 %
- Spot price per fine troy ounce: $3,000.00
- Total acquisition cost including purchase fees: $2,800.00
- Dealer bid as percentage of contained spot value: 98.00 %
- Selling fee on gross proceeds: 2.00 %
- Fixed selling costs not in percentage fee: $10.00
- Net gain or loss in this resale scenario
- $70.91
- Return on all-in acquisition cost
- 2.5326 %
- Modeled net resale proceeds
- $2,870.91
- All-in acquisition cost
- $2,800.00
These illustrative values are not recommended rates or industry averages. Replace every example input with your own figures.
Use the result well
Use this precious metals investment gain or loss calculator to compare all-in acquisition cost with a spot-based resale scenario after fees.
Keep inputs on the same scope and time basis. Calculations retain precision internally; displayed values generally round to two decimal places, with extra precision for very small values and whole-unit rounding where required. Economic comparisons describe your supplied assumptions and do not guarantee future results.
This tool provides business arithmetic. It does not approve engineering designs, establish legal or tax treatment, select equipment or certify safe operating conditions.