Scrap Silver Price Per Pound

Reviewed by the Silver by the Pound Editorial Team · Updated September 24, 2026

Prices on this page use silver spot at $63.98/troy oz ($933.04/lb) · updated September 24, 2026

Scrap type	Purity	Fine silver per lb	Melt per lb today
Fine silver (.999)	.999	14.57 troy oz	$932.11
Sterling	.925	13.49 troy oz	$863.06
US coin silver	.900	13.13 troy oz	$839.74
Continental silver	.800	11.67 troy oz	$746.43
40% silver	.400	5.83 troy oz	$373.22

Melt values at spot. The table works without JavaScript.

Quick answer. Scrap silver is worth its silver content: weight × purity × spot. A pound of sterling scrap holds 13.49 troy ounces and is worth $863.06 in melt today; a pound of .999 scrap is worth $932.11. For a mixed box, weigh each purity separately and add the lines. The calculator does this for you.

How the Math Works

For each line in a lot:

Fine silver (troy oz) = weight converted to troy ounces × purity Melt value = fine silver × spot ($63.98 today)

The lot total is the sum of the lines. The calculator also shows the lot's average value per pound, which is useful when a buyer quotes you a single per-pound figure for a mixed box. If their per-pound offer is well below your lot's average, ask how they arrived at it.

Weight conversions are the same as in our pound calculator: 1 lb = 14.5833 troy oz, 1 gram = 0.0321507 troy oz, and one kitchen-scale ounce = 0.91146 troy oz.

Worked Examples

1. A box of mixed silver.

Line	Weight	Purity	Fine silver
Sterling flatware (no knives)	3.0 lb	.925	40.47 troy oz
Sterling jewelry	0.25 lb	.925	3.37 troy oz
Pre-1965 quarters	0.5 lb	.900	6.56 troy oz
Total	3.75 lb		50.40 troy oz

At $63.98, that lot's 50.40 troy ounces of silver are worth $3,224.83. Its average is about 13.44 troy ounces per pound, a little under sterling because of the coin line.

2. European silver marked 800. 1 lb × 14.5833 × .800 = 11.67 troy oz, worth $746.43.

3. A single sterling tray weighing 900 grams. 900 × 0.0321507 × .925 = 26.77 troy oz.

Scrap Pitfalls: Weighted, Plated and Mixed Items

Scrap lots are where most over-estimates happen. Before you weigh, sort out what isn't solid silver:

Weighted pieces. Candlesticks, candelabra and some bowls and trophies have a thin silver shell filled with pitch, plaster or cement. Their weight is mostly filler.
Knives and hollow handles. Usually resin-filled handles with steel blades. Buyers pay little or nothing for the handles by weight.
Plated items. "EP," "EPNS," "A1," "Silverplate" and similar marks mean base metal with a thin coating. There's no meaningful silver to pay for.
Stones, glass and wood. Jewelry with stones, glass liners in cruets and salt cellars, and wooden handles all add weight without silver. Remove what you can or deduct an estimate.
Unmarked silver. Unmarked items may be silver, but a buyer will test them. Put them on a separate line at a conservative purity, or leave them out until tested.

Our sterling guide covers hallmarks and exclusions in more detail.

Before You Sell: A Five-Step Checklist

Pull out anything with collector value. Pre-1965 coins in unusually good condition, pieces by well-known silversmiths, and complete flatware sets in collected patterns can be worth more than melt. Check before they go on a scale.
Sort by purity. Sterling, coin silver, 800 silver and fine silver each go in their own pile. Plated and unmarked pieces go aside.
Remove what isn't silver. Knives, weighted bases, stones, glass, wood and felt come off or out.
Weigh each pile in grams on a scale you've checked, and write the weights down. Photographs of each pile on the scale are a simple record if you later need to compare a buyer's weights with yours.
Enter the lines above, note the lot total, and take the list to more than one buyer. Ask each for a price per troy ounce of pure silver.

A seller who arrives with sorted piles, weights and a melt total gets taken more seriously, and it's much harder for anyone to underweigh a lot you've already weighed yourself.

What Buyers Actually Pay for Scrap

Selling scrap silver? The lot total is a ceiling, not an offer. Scrap buyers pay a share of melt:

Refiners usually pay the highest share but often want a minimum lot and charge assay fees.
Local buyers, coin shops and jewelers commonly offer somewhere around 65–80% of melt on sterling scrap, according to 2026 seller guides, with the best offers above that.
Pawn shops are quickest and usually pay the least.

To compare offers, ask each buyer the price they pay per troy ounce of pure silver and how they weigh. A buyer quoting "per ounce" may mean everyday ounces or troy ounces, and the difference is almost 10%. Get more than one quote, and don't let anyone melt or test items in a way you can't undo until you've agreed a price.

Buying instead? See how to buy silver by the pound.

FAQ

What is the scrap silver price per pound today?

$863.06 for sterling and $932.11 for .999 silver, in melt value. Buyers pay less.

How do I work out what a box of scrap silver is worth?

Sort by purity, weigh each group, and enter each as a line in the calculator.

Do buyers pay more for .999 scrap than sterling?

Per pound, yes, because it holds more silver. Per ounce of pure silver the gap is smaller, and it varies by buyer, so ask each one.

What is silver marked 800?

80% silver, common on European pieces. A pound holds 11.67 troy ounces of silver.

Should I sell scrap silver to a pawn shop?

It's the fastest option but usually pays the least. Compare at least one other buyer first.