Purity
Carats, purity and zakat on gold
A carat is a share of 24. Zakat looks at the pure gold, so here is how much each carat holds and how heavy a piece must be to reach the nisab.
Gold, carat by carat
| Carat | UK hallmark | Pure gold | Value a gram | Weight for the nisab | In tola |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 carat | 999 | 100.00% | £100.32 | 87.48 g | 7.50 |
| 22 carat | 916 | 91.67% | £91.96 | 95.43 g | 8.18 |
| 21 carat | 875 | 87.50% | £87.78 | 99.98 g | 8.57 |
| 18 carat | 750 | 75.00% | £75.24 | 116.64 g | 10.00 |
| 14 carat | 585 | 58.33% | £58.52 | 149.97 g | 12.86 |
| 9 carat | 375 | 37.50% | £37.62 | 233.28 g | 20.00 |
Purity is the carat over 24. A hallmark gives the least fineness in thousandths, so a 14 carat item stamped 585 holds a touch more gold than 14/24 (58.33%); the calculator uses the carat share.
Silver, by fineness
| Silver | Pure silver | Value a gram | Weight for the nisab |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fine silver (999) | 99.9% | £1.44 | 612.97 g |
| Britannia silver (958) | 95.8% | £1.38 | 639.21 g |
| Sterling silver (925) | 92.5% | £1.33 | 662.01 g |
| 800 silver (800) | 80.0% | £1.15 | 765.45 g |
The carat chart as a picture
Reading a hallmark for zakat on gold
The number
Thousandths of gold: 375 is 9 carat, 585 is 14, 750 is 18, 916 is 22, 999 is 24.
Gold from abroad
Often marked with a K: 21K is common in the Gulf, 22K in South Asia.
The least it holds
A ring stamped 916 holds at least 91.6% gold. The tables use the carat share, 22/24, as most zakat guides do.
Why carat matters for the nisab
The nisab is pure gold: 87.48 g, the weight of 20 dinars (Sunan Abi Dawud 1573). The lower the carat, the heavier a piece must be to hold it: 87.48 g of 24 carat, but 233.28 g of 9 carat. Silver works the same way: the 612.36 g nisab is about 662 g of sterling.
Check the nisab for 2027 before you work out what you owe.