Tola, Gram, Ratti: How Gold Weight Is Measured in Pakistan

Why Gold Weight Units Matter More Than You Think

 When you buy gold in Pakistan, the price comes down to two things: the day's rate and the weight of the piece. The rate is announced daily, but the weight is measured in units — tola, gram, ratti — that many buyers only half understand. A small confusion between these units can quietly cost you thousands of rupees on a single purchase.

 Jewellers weigh every piece on a digital scale, then convert that reading into the unit used on the bill. If you cannot speak that unit, you cannot verify the bill. This guide gives you the full map, written the way a jeweller would explain it across the counter.

 The Tola: Pakistan's Gold Standard

 One tola equals 11.6638 grams — in everyday speech, jewellers generally say 11.66 grams. Every official rate you hear, from the All Pakistan Gems and Jewellers Sarafa Association (APGJSA), is announced per tola. When the news says gold is at a record high, that number is always per tola of 24-karat gold.

 A worked example with the morning rate of 17 October 2026: 24K gold is Rs 434,000 per tola. A 2-tola bangle set therefore carries gold worth 2 × 434,000 = Rs 868,000 — before any making charges are added. That single multiplication is the heart of every gold bill.

 The Gram: The Unit You Already Know

 The gram is the metric unit the rest of the world uses, and it is gaining ground in Pakistan too. Modern jewellers, 10-gram gold bars, and online listings generally quote in grams. Today's APGJSA table puts 10 grams of 24K gold at Rs 372,090 — exactly the per-tola rate divided down.

 Converting is simple division: Rs 434,000 ÷ 11.6638 ≈ Rs 37,209 per gram for 24K gold today. For 22K, the common jewellery karat, it is Rs 397,828 ÷ 11.6638 ≈ Rs 34,108 per gram. Once you know the per-gram rate, you can check any bill in seconds: weight in grams × rate per gram = gold value.

Ratti and Masha: The Small Units 

 For small pieces, the trade still uses two old units: 8 ratti make 1 masha, and 12 masha make 1 tola. That means 1 tola = 96 ratti. In grams, 1 masha is about 0.972 grams and 1 ratti is about 0.121 grams.

You will hear these units for earrings, nose pins, thin chains, and delicate rings — anything too light to quote comfortably in tolas. A 3-masha ring weighs about 2.92 grams; a 6-ratti tops pair is under a gram. 

With today's rate: 1 masha of 24K gold is worth roughly Rs 36,167 (434,000 ÷ 12), and 1 ratti is worth roughly Rs 4,521 (434,000 ÷ 96). Small numbers, but they add up fast when stones and making charges join the bill. 

 Confusions That Cost Buyers Money

 • Stone weight: kundan, polki, and meenakari pieces weigh gold plus stones together. Some jewellers subtract the stone weight before billing the gold; some do not. Always ask which way the piece in your hand was weighed.

 • Words that shift by region: in some areas people say 'bhar' when they mean a tola, and a few old-fashioned shops still quote in masha first. Whenever the word is unfamiliar, ask to see the weight on the scale in grams — grams do not change by region.

 The One Rule Every Gold Buyer Should Follow

 Convert everything to grams before you compare two shops' quotes. Write down the gram weight, multiply by the day's per-gram rate, and you have the true gold value in both places. The shop with the lower making charges on the same gold weight is generally the better deal — not the one with the friendlier-sounding tola price.

One important note: gold rates move daily and sometimes within the same day, so the figures above use the APGJSA morning rate of 17 October 2026. Always check 'aaj ka rate' before you pay. Your bill should contain exactly three things — weight, rate, and making charges — and nothing else.