Stacker Guides · Coins
How Much Does a Quarter Weigh? Every US Coin's Weight, Silver and Clad
A pound of modern dimes, a pound of quarters and a pound of half dollars are all worth exactly $20. The Mint did that on purpose, and it is also how a kitchen scale finds the silver in a coin jar.
By Joel Perkes · · 5 min read
The US Mint sized modern coins so that their weight tracks their value. A pound of dimes, a pound of quarters and a pound of half dollars are each worth exactly $20, give or take a worn coin. Silver coins break the rule, and that is what makes a kitchen scale useful.
A US quarter weighs 5.670 grams (0.200 ounces). A silver quarter, dated 1964 or earlier, weighs 6.250 grams. A penny weighs 2.500 grams (3.11 grams if it is copper, dated 1982 or earlier), a nickel 5.000 grams, and a dime 2.268 grams (2.500 grams for a silver dime). The difference between silver and clad is big enough for any kitchen scale that reads to a tenth of a gram.
US coin weights chart
| Coin | Years | Grams | Ounces | Per pound |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Penny, zinc | 1982 to 2025 | 2.500 | 0.088 | 181 |
| Penny, copper | 1864 to 1982 | 3.110 | 0.110 | 146 |
| Nickel | 1866 on (incl. war nickels) | 5.000 | 0.176 | 91 |
| Dime, clad | 1965 on | 2.268 | 0.080 | 200 |
| Dime, 90% silver | 1964 and earlier | 2.500 | 0.088 | 181 |
| Quarter, clad | 1965 on | 5.670 | 0.200 | 80 |
| Quarter, 90% silver | 1964 and earlier | 6.250 | 0.220 | 73 |
| Half dollar, clad | 1971 on | 11.340 | 0.400 | 40 |
| Half dollar, 40% silver | 1965 to 1970 | 11.500 | 0.406 | 39 |
| Half dollar, 90% silver | 1964 and earlier | 12.500 | 0.441 | 36 |
| Morgan or Peace dollar | 1878 to 1935 | 26.730 | 0.943 | 17 |
| Eisenhower dollar, clad | 1971 to 1978 | 22.680 | 0.800 | 20 |
| Susan B. Anthony dollar | 1979 to 1981, 1999 | 8.100 | 0.286 | 56 |
| Golden dollar | 2000 on | 8.100 | 0.286 | 56 |
| American Silver Eagle | 1986 on | 31.103 | 1.097 | 15 |
Ounces here are ordinary (avoirdupois) ounces, the kind a kitchen scale uses. Precious metals are weighed in troy ounces, which are about 10% heavier: a Silver Eagle is exactly one troy ounce of silver but reads 1.097 ounces on a kitchen scale. Our troy ounce guide explains the two.
How much does a quarter weigh on a digital scale?
A new clad quarter reads 5.67 grams; worn quarters often read 5.6 or a little lower. A silver quarter reads about 6.25 grams new and 6.1 to 6.2 grams worn. Nothing clad comes close to 6.1 grams, so on a scale that reads to 0.01 grams the silver ones stand out at once. If a scale reads only to 0.1 grams, look for anything at 6.0 or above.
A quarter weighs about 0.2 ounces, so five quarters weigh about an ounce, and about 80 quarters weigh a pound.
How to find silver coins with a kitchen scale
Weigh coins one at a time and set aside anything heavier than its clad twin:
- Dimes: clad 2.27 g, silver 2.50 g.
- Quarters: clad 5.67 g, silver 6.25 g.
- Half dollars: clad 11.34 g, 40% silver 11.50 g, 90% silver 12.50 g. The 40% halves are close to clad, so check their dates (1965–1970) as well.
Weight doesn’t work for nickels: a 1942–1945 silver war nickel weighs the same 5 grams as any other nickel. Look instead for the large mint mark (P, D or S) above the building on the back. The edge also helps with dimes, quarters and halves: a clad coin shows a copper stripe on its edge, and a silver one is solid silver-gray all the way through. Our Is My Coin Silver? tool checks any date.
What is a pound of quarters worth?
A pound of modern quarters is about 80 coins, worth $20 in face value. The same is true of dimes (200 to the pound) and half dollars (40 to the pound): the Mint made clad coins weigh in proportion to their value, about 22.7 grams per dollar.
A pound of 90% silver quarters is only about 73 coins, $18.14 in face value, but it holds 13.1 troy ounces of silver, worth about $709 at $54.05 an ounce (October 24, 2026). Silver dimes and halves work out the same, because all 90% coins hold the same 0.7234 troy ounces of silver per dollar of face value. So a pound of old quarters is worth about 35 times a pound of new ones.
- A pound of zinc pennies is about 181 coins ($1.81); copper pennies, about 146 ($1.46).
- A pound of nickels is about 91 coins ($4.54).
- A $10 roll of quarters (40 coins) weighs 226.8 g if clad and 250 g if silver; a roll of silver quarters held about $391 of silver on October 24, 2026.
How much does a silver dollar weigh?
A Morgan or Peace silver dollar weighs 26.73 grams, about 0.94 ounces, and holds 0.7734 troy ounces of silver, worth about $41.80 at $54.05. The Eisenhower dollars that circulated (1971–1978) are clad and weigh 22.68 grams; the 40% silver versions, sold in collector sets with an S mint mark, weigh 24.59 grams. The small dollars (Susan B. Anthony and golden dollars) weigh 8.1 grams. Our Morgan dollar guide covers what each is worth.
Why coins are lighter or heavier than the chart
Every coin is struck to a standard weight with a small allowance either way, and circulation wears metal off. A coin a few hundredths of a gram light is normal. A coin that is well off its weight, or the right weight but the wrong size, is worth a closer look: it may be a different metal, damaged, or fake. Our Is My Coin Fake? tool compares a coin’s weight, width and thickness with the official specifications.
Outside the US
Other countries’ modern coins don’t follow the US weight-for-value rule:
- Canada: 5¢ 3.95 g, 10¢ 1.75 g, 25¢ 4.40 g, $1 loonie 6.27 g, $2 toonie 6.92 g. Canadian dimes and quarters dated 1967 or earlier were 80% silver, and 1967–68 coins can be 50% silver.
- United Kingdom: 1p 3.56 g, 2p 7.12 g, 5p 3.25 g, 10p 6.50 g, 20p 5.00 g, 50p 8.00 g, £1 8.75 g, £2 12.00 g. British “silver” coins dated 1946 or earlier hold silver; 1920–1946 coins are 50% silver.
- Australia: 5c 2.83 g, 10c 5.65 g, 20c 11.30 g, 50c 15.55 g, $1 9.00 g, $2 6.60 g. The round 1966 50c coin is 80% silver.
Our guide to when coins stopped being silver covers 13 countries.
Sources
- US coin weights and compositions: US Mint, coin specifications; silver coins and the switch to clad: Coinage Act of 1965.
- Silver content: 90% silver coins hold 0.7234 troy ounces per dollar of face value (a quarter is 6.25 g at 90%). One troy ounce is 31.1034768 g; one avoirdupois pound is 453.59237 g.
- Other countries: Coins of the Canadian dollar, Coins of the pound sterling, Coins of the Australian dollar (Wikipedia, citing each mint), and the Royal Australian Mint coin fact sheets.
- Silver price $54.05 an ounce on October 24, 2026: gold-api.com.
Questions people actually ask
How much does a quarter weigh?
A US quarter made since 1965 weighs 5.670 grams, about 0.2 ounces. A silver quarter dated 1964 or earlier weighs 6.250 grams. Worn quarters weigh slightly less.
How much does a penny weigh?
A zinc penny made since 1982 weighs 2.500 grams. A copper penny dated 1982 or earlier weighs 3.110 grams, and the 1943 steel penny weighs about 2.70 grams. Some 1982 pennies are copper and some zinc, so weigh them.
How much does a nickel weigh?
A US nickel weighs 5.000 grams, about 0.18 ounces. The 1942 to 1945 silver war nickels weigh the same, so weight can't find them; look for the large mint mark above the building on the back.
How much does a dime weigh?
A US dime made since 1965 weighs 2.268 grams. A silver dime dated 1964 or earlier weighs 2.500 grams, about a quarter of a gram more.
How much does a silver dollar weigh?
A Morgan or Peace silver dollar weighs 26.73 grams, about 0.94 ounces, and holds 0.7734 troy ounces of silver. A clad Eisenhower dollar weighs 22.68 grams, and a Susan B. Anthony or golden dollar 8.1 grams.
What is a pound of quarters worth?
About $20 in face value, because a pound holds about 80 modern quarters. A pound of 90% silver quarters is about 73 coins, $18.14 in face value, holding about 13.1 troy ounces of silver.
How much should a quarter weigh on a digital scale?
About 5.67 grams for a modern quarter, a little less if worn. Anything around 6.1 to 6.25 grams is probably a 90% silver quarter dated 1964 or earlier.
How many quarters are in a pound?
About 80 modern quarters, or about 73 silver quarters. A $10 roll of 40 quarters weighs 226.8 grams if clad and 250 grams if silver.
Can you tell if a coin is silver by weighing it?
For dimes, quarters and half dollars, yes: 90% silver versions weigh about 10% more than clad ones. It doesn't work for nickels, because silver war nickels weigh the same 5 grams as ordinary nickels.
