Blog·Gold prices · May 2026
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Gold Price Per Gram — May 2026: Live Rates & Monthly Review
Gold has been one of the most-watched assets of 2026. In our stored 2026 snapshots, January marked a year-to-date high around — for 24K (spot-derived), followed by a pullback and wider trading ranges into May as markets weighed rates and safe-haven demand. Below you'll find today's live gold price per gram for every karat, plus a short May recap and what it means if you're selling jewelry or scrap.
Gold price per gram May 2026 (live rates)
As of this page load, 24K is around $131.91/g (about $4103/troy oz). The table below updates daily for 10K, 14K, 18K, 22K, and 24K.
Snapshot: 10K ≈ $54.96/g · 14K ≈ $76.95/g · 18K ≈ $98.94/g. For fixed-weight melt references (same USD spot basis), browse the gold value hub or open an example like 10g of 14K.
May 2026 market recap (high, low, and context)
This recap is based on our stored USD price snapshots. After April's consolidation, May's tape featured wider swings as traders weighed funding costs, headline risk, and persistent safe-haven interest in bullion.
2026 monthly closes (24K, spot-derived): Mar close $4426/oz · Apr close $4610/oz.
Within May, our 24K snapshots show a monthly range between $4447/oz and $4766/oz (spot-derived). Use the live table above for today's per-gram rate and the table below for the month summary.
| Metric | May 2026 |
|---|---|
| Approximate high | $4766/oz |
| Approximate low | $4447/oz |
| Change vs April | -1.5% |
| 12-month change | — |
| 14K per gram | $85.15/g |
2026 Jan–May monthly snapshot (24K spot-derived)
Monthly aggregation derived from price snapshots stored in our database (USD, 24K spot-derived basis).
| Month | High (oz) | Low (oz) | Close (oz) | Close (g) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-01 | — | — | — | — | Database snapshots |
| 2026-02 | — | — | — | — | Database snapshots |
| 2026-03 | $5197 | $4363 | $4426 | $142.30 | Database snapshots |
| 2026-04 | $4870 | $4610 | $4610 | $148.20 | Database snapshots |
| 2026-05 | $4766 | $4447 | $4540 | $145.97 | Database snapshots |
Data note: “24K spot-derived” refers to the spot gold price basis. Jewelry buy offers typically pay a percentage of melt after testing/refining costs and margin.
What's driving gold prices in 2026?
- Geopolitical risk premium: conflict risk and energy supply disruptions can keep safe-haven demand elevated.
- Central bank buying: persistent official-sector demand can support prices through cycles.
- Retail bar & coin demand: investor demand can accelerate when volatility rises.
- Interest rate uncertainty: higher rates can be a headwind, but safe-haven and inflation narratives can offset it.
May 2026 vs April 2026 (dataset snapshot)
In our 2026 dataset, April's recorded 24K end value was about $148.20/g. Current loaded 24K is below that mark. Year-to-date framing: gold is down about 20.9% versus the year-start reference.
June 2026 outlook (what we're watching)
June often sits between spring positioning and mid-year macro prints. Liquidity can thin around holidays, which sometimes amplifies day-to-day swings even when the longer-term drivers (rates, inflation expectations, geopolitical risk) haven't fundamentally changed. For bullion, that usually means volatility risk stays on the table even if the trend from May carries forward.
Rates & the Fed path: if markets re-price how long policy stays restrictive, non-yielding gold can move quickly when real yields and the dollar shift in ways that change the opportunity cost of holding bullion. Watch how incoming inflation and labor data are interpreted relative to “higher for longer” versus “cuts later this year.”
Geopolitics & energy headlines: safe-haven bids can appear on short notice. The question for June is often whether those spikes hold once headlines fade, or whether range trading returns.
Practical takeaway for sellers: outlooks are not price targets. If you're deciding whether to sell in June, start with melt value (table + calculator above), then compare multiple buyer quotes—your best protection is process, not a prediction.
Data vs narrative: for daily UTC rows and embedded tools as June fills in, use the June 2026 Gold Price Tracker. When we publish the June recap, it will live at the June monthly review (same series as this page). This outlook section is general commentary only—not personalized investment, tax, or trading advice.
What this means if you're selling gold (melt vs offers)
Melt value is a benchmark, but buyers typically pay a percentage of melt based on their costs, testing, and margin. Typical payout bands look like this:
| Buyer type | Payout (% of melt) | 14K per gram (reference) |
|---|---|---|
| Pawn shop | 50–70% | ~$44–$62/g |
| Local gold buyer | 65–80% | ~$57–$70/g |
| Online buyer | 80–92% | ~$70–$81/g |
| Refinery | 88–95% | ~$77–$84/g |
Before you accept any offer, compute your melt value and compare at least 2–3 quotes. For more on why offers are below spot, see why scrap gold pays less than spot.
FAQ
Disclaimer: Prices are derived from spot and update daily. Buyer payouts vary by channel, testing, and region.