Tola, masha and ratti: how to work out the price of gold
Gold in Pakistan is priced per tola, while the rest of the world uses grams and ounces, and jewellery is rarely pure. Here is the maths a jeweller uses.
Free tools for this
- Gold & Silver Price Calculator (tola, gram, karat)Price of your gold or silver from todayโs rate: tola, gram, masha or ratti, 24K, 22K, 21K or 18K, with making charges. Also shows the rate per gram and per 10 grams.
- Gold Weight Converter (Tola / Masha / Ratti)Convert tola, masha, ratti, grams and troy ounces, and estimate the value from a price per tola.
- Zakat CalculatorEstimate zakat (2.5%) on cash, gold, silver and business assets.
| Unit | Grams |
|---|---|
| 1 tola | 11.6638 g |
| 1 masha (1/12 tola) | 0.972 g |
| 1 ratti (1/8 masha) | 0.1215 g |
| 10 grams | 0.857 tola |
| 1 troy ounce | 31.1035 g (2.667 tola) |
Purity: what 24K, 22K and 21K mean
Karat counts gold out of 24 parts. 24K is pure; 22K is 22/24 = 91.7% gold; 21K is 87.5%; 18K is 75%. So the price of 21K gold per tola is the 24K rate ร 21 รท 24.
A worked example
If 24K gold is Rs 450,000 per tola, a 2.5 tola set in 21K is worth 2.5 ร 450,000 ร 21/24 = Rs 984,375. With 8% making charges (Rs 78,750) the shop price is about Rs 1,063,125.
Tip: When you sell, shops deduct for impurity and wastage (kaat) and do not pay back making charges. Ask how much they deduct before you agree.
Zakat on gold is due when your total wealth is above the nisab (7.5 tola of gold or 52.5 tola of silver, as your scholar advises) for a lunar year.
Questions
How many grams is 1 tola of gold?
11.6638 grams.
Is 21K gold good for jewellery?
It is common in Pakistan: harder than 22K and still 87.5% gold.