Guide · Gold Weights & Calculations
Gold Price Per Gram: How to Read and Use It
The gold price per gram is the cost of one gram of gold at a given purity, before making charges and tax. In Dubai it is quoted separately for 24K, 22K, 21K and 18K, and right now 22K is about ₹11,285.28 (AED 440.37) per gram. Every other quote you see, per 10 grams, per tola or per ounce, is the same number multiplied up.
Once you can read the per-gram figure properly, you can check any shop's maths in your head and compare Dubai with Kochi or Delhi without getting lost in units.
Why per gram is the number to anchor on
Gold is sold by weight, and the gram is the unit that shows up on the scale, the tag and the tax invoice. A Gold Souk jeweller weighs your bangle to two or three decimals of a gram and multiplies by the day's per-gram rate. That is the whole base price.
Other units exist for convenience or habit. Indian newspapers like per 10 grams. Families in Kerala count in pavans. Bullion dealers think in troy ounces. All of them trace back to grams, so learning the gram rate saves you from memorising four separate price lists.
Here are today's per-gram rates across the four karats the Dubai trade quotes daily.
How does the per-gram rate compare with other units?
The table below shows how each common unit converts back to grams. The middle column is the multiplier you apply to the per-gram rate.
| Unit | Grams in one unit | Where you will see it |
|---|---|---|
| 1 gram | 1 | Dubai shop boards, invoices, the UAE daily rate |
| 10 grams | 10 | Indian newspapers, TV tickers, most Indian jewellers |
| 1 tola | 11.6638 | Gulf bars, older Indian and Pakistani buyers |
| 1 pavan (sovereign) | 8 | Kerala and Tamil Nadu jewellery shops |
| 1 troy ounce | 31.1035 | International spot price in US dollars, coins |
| 1 kilogram | 1,000 | Large bars, bulk trade, the customs 1 kg limit |
Two traps catch people often. The first is the tola: many Indians say "one tola" and mean 10 grams, but the tola used for Dubai bars is 11.6638 g. Our explainer on the real weight of a tola covers where that gap comes from. The second is the ounce: gold uses the troy ounce, not the kitchen ounce, which is why the troy ounce conversion matters when you read international prices.
India's habit of quoting per 10 grams has its own logic, which we explain in why India quotes gold per 10 grams. For a quick check, just move the decimal one place.
Why 24K, 22K and 18K have different per-gram prices
A gram of 22K jewellery is not a gram of pure gold. It is 91.6% gold and 8.4% other metals. A gram of 18K is only 75% gold. Shops price each karat by its pure gold content, so the per-gram rate falls as purity falls.
- 24K (999): 99.9% gold. Bars, coins and the base for all other rates.
- 22K (916): 91.6% gold. The standard for Indian-style jewellery.
- 21K (875): 87.5% gold. Popular in Arabic designs across the Gulf.
- 18K (750): 75% gold. Diamond and gemstone settings, lighter modern pieces.
You can roughly derive one rate from another. Take the 24K per-gram figure and multiply by the purity ratio, and you land close to the published 22K or 18K rate. Small differences come from how the trade rounds and from retail premiums.
A quick check you can do at the counter
Say the 24K rate is AED 400 a gram (an example, not today's price). 22K should then sit near 400 × 0.916, about AED 366. If a shop quotes 22K at AED 385, ask why. It may be including something it hasn't itemised.
Turning a per-gram rate into a real bill
The per-gram rate covers only the metal. A finished piece of jewellery adds making charges and, in the UAE, 5% VAT on the whole invoice. Here is a full example with round illustrative numbers.
Worked example: a 15 g 22K chain in Dubai
- Gold value: 15 g × AED 360 per gram = AED 5,400
- Making charge: say AED 20 per gram × 15 g = AED 300
- Subtotal: AED 5,700
- VAT at 5%: AED 285
- Total on the invoice: AED 5,985
Divide the total by the weight and you get an effective price of about AED 399 a gram. That "all-in per gram" number is what you should compare across shops, not the board rate alone. Eligible tourists can claim part of that VAT back at the airport, which narrows the gap further.
For more detail on each line, including stones, enamel and how charges are quoted, see our step-by-step guide to calculating a jewellery bill. If you'd rather not do the arithmetic, the gold price calculator does it with today's rate already filled in.
Per gram in rupees: reading the INR figure honestly
The INR figure on this site is the Dubai price converted at the current exchange rate. One dirham is worth about ₹25.63 today. It tells you what the Dubai gold costs in rupees, not what the same gold costs in an Indian showroom.
Indian retail prices include import duty, raised from 6% to 15% in May 2026, plus 3% GST on the gold value. The Dubai price carries neither of those, but you may owe Indian customs duty when you fly back if you're over your allowance. So the honest comparison adds those costs back in. Our worked guide on converting the Dubai rate into an Indian rate shows each step.
The rupee price can also move on a day when gold itself barely moves. Because the dirham is pegged to the US dollar, a weaker rupee against the dollar pushes the INR figure up even if the gold rate in AED is flat.
How much does a few grams cost right now?
The table below multiplies today's 22K per-gram rate by common weights, so you can see at a glance what a ring, chain or set might cost before making charges.
22K gold price in Dubai by weight
| Weight | Price (₹ INR) | Price (AED) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 gram | ₹11,285.28 | AED 440.37 |
| 4 grams | ₹45,141 | AED 1,761.48 |
| 8 grams | ₹90,282 | AED 3,522.96 |
| 10 grams | ₹1,12,853 | AED 4,403.70 |
| 20 grams | ₹2,25,706 | AED 8,807.40 |
| 50 grams | ₹5,64,264 | AED 22,018.50 |
| 100 grams | ₹11,28,528 | AED 44,037.00 |
| 1 tola (11.66 g) | ₹1,31,629 | AED 5,136.39 |
| 10 tola bar | ₹13,16,293 | AED 51,363.89 |
| 1 troy ounce | ₹3,51,011 | AED 13,697.04 |
| 1 kilogram | ₹1,12,85,281 | AED 440,370.00 |
Exchange rate: 1 AED = ₹25.6268 (1 USD = ₹94.11), updated 8 Nov, 9:15 PM. Rupee prices are the Dubai rate converted to INR – not the gold rate in India, which includes import duty and GST.
For the smallest purchases, like a 1 g coin or a nose pin, our page on the 1 gram price across karats looks at why tiny items carry a bigger premium.
Common per-gram mistakes
- Comparing different karats. A 21K rate looks cheaper than 22K because it is less gold. Compare like with like.
- Ignoring making charges. Two shops with the same board rate can differ by hundreds of dirhams on one piece.
- Using a stale rate. Dubai rates are revised during the day. A rate from yesterday's WhatsApp forward is not today's.
- Mixing 10 g and tola. A "per tola" price is for 11.6638 g in Dubai, not 10 g.
- Treating INR as the Indian price. It is the Dubai price in rupees. Indian prices include duty and GST.
Your quick per-gram checklist
- Note today's per-gram rate for the karat you want, in AED and INR.
- Ask the shop for the gold rate, net weight and making charge as separate lines.
- Work out the all-in price per gram (total bill ÷ net weight) and compare that across shops.
- If you're carrying the piece to India, check your duty-free allowance before you pay.
- Keep the itemised tax invoice. You'll need it at customs and if you ever sell.
Written by Sagar Yadav and checked against official sources under our editorial policy. Spotted an error? See our corrections policy.
