Gold Weight Units Explained: Gram, Tola, Sovereign and Ounce

Gold is sold in different units depending on where you are and what you are buying. Prices quoted in one unit are easy to misread in another, so it helps to know the conversions.

Conversion table

Unit	Grams	Where it is used
1 gram	1 g	Standard retail unit across India
10 grams	10 g	Common quote for bullion and rate boards
1 sovereign (pavan)	8 g	Tamil Nadu, Kerala and parts of South India
1 tola	11.66 g	Traditional unit in North India and the Gulf
1 troy ounce	31.1 g	International gold price
1 kilogram	1,000 g	Wholesale bullion

Common mix-ups

Gram versus 10 grams. Many rate boards show the price for 10 grams, while jewellers often quote per gram. A rate of ₹1,00,000 per 10 grams is ₹10,000 per gram. Always check which one you are reading.

Sovereign versus tola. They are close but not the same, 8 grams against 11.66 grams. If you are buying in a part of the country that uses sovereigns, a quote for "one" is a smaller amount than a tola.

Ounce versus troy ounce. The ounce used for gold is the troy ounce, which is about 31.1 grams. The everyday ounce used for food weighs about 28.35 grams, so do not mix them.

Quick sums

• Price of a sovereign = price per gram × 8
• Price of a tola = price per gram × 11.66
• Price per gram = price per 10 grams ÷ 10
• Price per gram from the international price = (price per ounce ÷ 31.1) × the dollar-rupee rate, before duty and taxes

Our gold rate page shows a ready-made table for 1 gram, a sovereign, 10 grams, a tola, 100 grams and a kilogram, so you do not need to work it out by hand.

Frequently asked questions