Melting gold: at what temperature does gold melt and how does it work?

Pure gold melts at 1,064.18 °C. At that temperature the metal goes from solid to liquid, after which it can be cast into a new form, such as a bar, a coin or a piece of jewelry. Melting gold therefore means heating the metal until it becomes liquid, and that is different from refining gold, which is discussed further below.

This article explains the exact melting point of gold, why a lower carat content reduces the melting temperature, and how melting is carried out in practice. It also explains why remelting an existing gold bar can harm its value and when you should leave the melting to a professional.

What is the melting point of gold?

The melting point of pure gold is 1,064.18 °C. At that temperature the bonds between the gold atoms break just enough to make the metal liquid, without it evaporating. The boiling point is much higher, around 2,800–2,856 °C, which gives gold a wide range in which it remains liquid and can be worked.

Compared with other precious metals, that is a moderate melting point. Silver becomes liquid at a lower temperature, while platinum and palladium require much higher temperatures. The table below compares the melting points of the four precious metals.

Source: Royal Society of Chemistry

That relatively accessible melting point is one of the reasons why gold has been worked by people for thousands of years: it can be melted and cast with relatively simple means, and it retains its quality in the process.

Does a lower carat content lower the melting point?

Yes, generally the lower the carat content, the lower the melting temperature. Pure 24-carat gold melts at 1,064.18 °C, but once gold is alloyed with metals such as copper and silver, the temperature at which the alloy becomes liquid drops. This explains why jewelry often melts at a lower temperature than pure investment bars.

Yellow gold, red gold and white gold of the same karat can react differently to heating because of their different compositions. A professional smelter therefore first analyzes the material.

How does melting gold work?

Melting gold is done by heating the metal evenly in a heat-resistant container to above its melting point. That container is called a melting crucible and is made of graphite or a refractory ceramic composition, materials that withstand the high temperature.

The heat comes from a melting furnace or, in professional settings, from an induction furnace that heats the gold quickly and evenly. In practice, gold is heated slightly above the melting point so that the entire mass is liquid and easily castable.

During heating, flux is often added, a fluxing agent based on borax and sodium carbonate. Flux helps collect certain oxides and impurities into a separate slag layer and causes the molten gold to coalesce better. Once the gold is fully liquid, it is poured with tongs into a preheated mold.

This is often an ingot in a mold, or loose granules if the gold will be further processed later. In the mold, the metal cools below the melting point and solidifies again, taking the shape of the mold.

This melting and casting is a shaping step, not a refining one. It changes the form of the gold, not its fineness. Alloying metals such as copper and silver that are part of the gold do not simply disappear during melting; a separate refining process is required for that.

Can you melt gold at home?

Melting gold at home is technically possible, but is not recommended and is pointless for investment gold. To reach above 1000 °C you need a suitable furnace, a crucible, flux and heat-resistant protection.

You then work with splashing molten metal, and harmful fumes can be released from unknown alloys or coatings, making good ventilation necessary. A kitchen oven or ordinary gas burner does not provide sufficient temperature control.

Besides, it yields little. Melting a gold piece of jewelry into a new object requires craftsmanship that goes beyond melting alone: after casting, air bubbles and imperfections often appear. And investment-grade gold that you remelt loses the properties for which you bought it. If you want to sell gold or have it processed, you are better off with a professional, accredited party than with a self-melted result.

The melting point of pure gold is 1,064.18 °C, the boiling point much higher, around 2,800 °C.

Melting versus refining: what is the difference?

Melting and refining are often used interchangeably, but they are two different processes. Melting only turns gold into a liquid so it can be cast into another shape. Refining is the chemical or electrolytic process that removes other metals and impurities from the gold, raising its fineness to a tradable standard such as 99.99%.

In short: melting changes the shape, refining changes the purity. During melting some oxides and dirt particles may end up in the slag layer, but the alloying metals themselves are not removed.

The entire path from raw gold to a microscope-pure investment bar, including refining methods, bar casting and coin minting, is described in our article on how gold is refined and produced. For the origin of the raw metal see where gold is mined.

Remelting and recycling old gold

Existing gold can be remelted and reused, which is an important source of supply. Old jewelry, industrial gold residues and outdated products are professionally remelted and refined into new, pure gold without any loss of quality. At the molecular level there is no "new" or "old" gold; after professional processing recycled gold is equivalent to mined gold.

It is different for investment gold, and caution is advised.

Buying and selling gold without melting it yourself

If you own physical gold you never need to melt it yourself to sell or convert it. At The Silver Mountain you can arrange that easily and with peace of mind. Since 2008 we have specialized in physical precious metals and, as an AFM license holder, are used to working carefully and transparently, from your first purchase to a later sale.

Our gold bars come from reputable refineries on the LBMA Good Delivery List, the international benchmark for quality and reliability in the precious metals world. Our gold coins come from recognized mints. That way you can be sure you have a recognizable and globally tradable product in your hands.

If you want to sell later, sister company Inkoop Edelmetaal buys your gold back as a recognized product. That preserves the value and tradability the product had as an original, exactly what would be lost by remelting. Ready to get started? See the full range on the buy gold page.

Conclusion: melting gold changes the form, not the value

Gold melts at 1,064.18 °C and that relatively accessible melting point has made the metal workable for thousands of years. A gold alloy has no fixed melting point but a melting range: the lower the karat content, the earlier the alloy becomes liquid. Melting itself is a shaping step that makes gold liquid for casting, but it does not change the purity. That is done during refining.

For the investor one lesson is particularly important: remelting a certified gold bar or coin harms tradability and thus value. If you want gold melted or processed, leave it to a professional and recognized party.