Gold purity guide
What does 375 mean on gold?
If you've found 375 stamped on a ring, a chain or a pair of earrings, it means the gold is 9 carat. The number says that 375 parts in every 1,000 are gold, which is 37.5%. The rest is other metal.
Reviewed 8 Oct 2026 · by GoldC Team · How we calculate this
The short answer
375 is the hallmark number for 9 carat gold, the lowest gold standard in the UK. Nine parts out of 24 are gold: 9 ÷ 24 = 37.5%.
So 10 grams of 375 gold contains 3.75 grams of gold. The piece still weighs 10 grams; the other 6.25 grams is other metal.
Is 375 gold real gold?
Yes. 375 gold is a proper gold alloy, and 375 is one of the standards the UK hallmarking system recognises. It is just the lowest of them: a bit over a third of the metal is gold and the rest is other metals.
What 375 can't tell you is whether the piece in your hand really is 375. A number stamped on its own can be worn, copied or applied wrongly. GOV.UK describes a hallmark as a mark that "shows that the item has been independently tested and verified as matching its description". That is the part to look for, not just the three digits.
If you are buying something that matters, ask for the item to be hallmarked and look at all the marks together. The 916 guide covers the same idea for 22 carat gold.
What a 375 hallmark looks like in the UK
On a UK hallmark, 375 sits with two other compulsory marks: the sponsor's mark (who sent the piece in for testing) and the mark of the assay office that tested it. Two more can be added if the maker wants them, a date letter and a traditional fineness symbol.
Very light pieces are the exception. GOV.UK says it is not compulsory to hallmark a gold item that weighs less than 1 gram, so a tiny stud or a thin chain may carry no hallmark at all. If a gold item over that weight is sold unhallmarked, GOV.UK says the seller is breaking the law.
375 next to 585, 750 and 916
These are the four marks you are most likely to find on UK jewellery. The only thing that changes from one to the next is how much of the piece is gold.
| Mark | Carat | Gold | Pure gold in 10 g |
|---|---|---|---|
| 916 | 22 | 91.6% | 9.16 g |
| 750 | 18 | 75.0% | 7.50 g |
| 585 | 14 | 58.5% | 5.85 g |
| 375 | 9 | 37.5% | 3.75 g |
With more of the other metals in the mix, a 375 piece is harder than the higher marks, and the colour changes with the metals used. For the full list of marks, see what 916 means on gold, or type any stamp into the gold purity converter.
375, 9K, 9ct and 9 carat: the same thing
All four describe the same gold. 9ct is the short form of 9 carat, and 9K is the same thing written the American way: "karat" with a K, "carat" with a C. 375 is how it is written on the hallmark, as parts per thousand.
How much gold is in a 375 piece?
Multiply the weight by 0.375. A 10 g chain marked 375 holds 3.75 g of gold, and the other 6.25 g is other metal.
| Weight of 375 piece | Pure gold |
|---|---|
| 1 g | 0.38 g |
| 2 g | 0.75 g |
| 5 g | 1.88 g |
| 10 g | 3.75 g |
| 20 g | 7.50 g |
To put a price on the gold, multiply the weight by 0.375 and then by the 24 carat price per gram you have been quoted. As an example only, at £100 a gram for 24 carat gold, the 3.75 g in a 10 g chain comes to £375.00. This page doesn't show current prices, and a shop's buying or selling rate will differ.
If your scales read in tola or ounces, convert first with the gold weight converter.
Quick answers
What carat is 375 gold?
9 carat. 9 parts of gold out of 24 is 37.5%, written on the hallmark as 375.
Is 375 gold pure gold?
No. Pure gold is marked 999, and 375 is 37.5% gold. The rest is other metal.
Is 375 gold worth anything?
It does contain gold, so the gold in it has a value. How much depends on its weight and the rate you are quoted, and a buyer's rate will differ from a shop's. The method is in the section above.
Sources and limits
The three compulsory marks, the 1 gram minimum weight for gold, and the description of a hallmark come from the GOV.UK hallmarking guidance summary. The fineness marks 375, 585, 750, 916 and 999 come from the Assay Office London page What is a hallmark. Both were read on 8 October 2026.
This page explains a purity mark; it does not authenticate an item, show a live price or give buying or selling advice. Figures are estimates where stated and were reviewed on 8 October 2026.