A 1 oz Krugerrand contains exactly one troy ounce of gold, 31.103 g. The Royal Mint’s listing gives its fineness as 916.7, a 22-karat alloy, so the coin as a whole must weigh about 33.93 g and measures 32.77 mm across.
The arithmetic
The listing does not print a total weight, but you can derive it. If one troy ounce (31.1035 g) of gold is 91.67% of the coin, the coin weighs 31.1035 ÷ 0.9167 = 33.93 g, and the other 2.83 g is alloy. That is why a Krugerrand feels like a Gold Eagle in the hand: the Gold Eagle weighs 33.931 g with the same 22-karat gold content, and its 32.70 mm diameter is within 0.07 mm of the Krugerrand’s 32.77 mm.
| 1 oz Krugerrand | 1 oz American Gold Eagle | 1 oz Maple Leaf | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fine gold | 1 troy oz | 1 troy oz | 1 troy oz (99.99%) |
| Fineness | 916.7 | 91.67% | 99.99% |
| Total weight | ≈ 33.93 g (derived) | 33.931 g | 31.11 g |
| Diameter | 32.77 mm | 32.70 mm | 30 mm |
What the Royal Mint says about the coin
The Royal Mint’s listing says the Krugerrand has been minted since 1967 by the Rand Refinery in South Africa, with a reverse of a pronking springbok designed by Coert Steynberg and an obverse portrait of Paul Kruger, the former president of the South African Republic, designed by Otto Schultz. It calls the coin’s .9167 fineness and 22-carat colour its identifying features. Our Krugerrand history article covers the design and its history.
Fractional Krugerrands
Krugerrands come in fractional sizes as well as the 1 oz coin; the Royal Mint lists 1/2 oz and 1/4 oz versions, among others. Check the listing for the exact weight and diameter of the size you hold before you do the calculation, rather than assuming proportions: the gold share stays at 916.7 fineness, so the total coin weight is the gold weight divided by 0.9167.
A common mistake
People sometimes put a Krugerrand on a scale, read about 33.9 g, and conclude it holds 33.9 g of gold. It holds 31.1 g. The difference is 2.8 g of alloy, which is exactly the point of the 22-karat standard. The reverse mistake is to take the gold-only weight as the coin’s weight and decide a genuine coin is underweight. Weight alone also cannot prove a coin is genuine; for a coin you plan to rely on, have it checked.
Work out your own
Gold value = fine troy ounces × the price you type × number of coins. It is the metal only, not what a dealer pays or charges.
Frequently asked questions about gold in a Krugerrand
Is a Krugerrand 24 karat?
No. The Royal Mint lists it at 916.7 fineness, which is 22 karat.
How many grams of gold are in a 1 oz Krugerrand?
31.103 g, one troy ounce. The coin weighs more because of the alloy.
Does a Krugerrand have more gold than an American Gold Eagle?
No. Both 1 oz coins contain one troy ounce of gold in a 22-karat alloy.
Other coins
The same question for other popular gold coins:
- How Much Gold Is in a $20 Double Eagle?
- How Much Gold Is in a Gold Britannia?
- How Much Gold Is in a Gold Maple Leaf?
- How Much Gold Is in a Vienna Philharmonic?
- How Much Gold Is in an American Gold Eagle?
For any coin, the content chart lists weight, fineness and sources, and the melt value calculator covers 27 coins at once.
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