Solder calculator: which grade to use and how many grams you need
Tell us the piece's metal and how many times you will solder it, and you get the order to use hard, medium and easy solder without undoing earlier joints. Add your joints —jump rings, posts, settings, bezels— and you get the grams of each grade.
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Solder calculator
From the hardest grade to the easiest, one joint at a time.
Soldering order
- Step 1Hardflows at ≈ 790 °C
- Step 2Mediumflows at ≈ 755 °C
- Step 3Easyflows at ≈ 720 °C
The piece starts to melt around 890 °C.
0.060 g
With 20 % extra for trimming and waste.
By grade
- Hard
- 0.036 g
- Medium
- 0.014 g
- Easy
- 0.010 g
How to choose the right solder
- 1.Choose the piece's metal: .925 silver or 10K, 14K or 18K gold.
- 2.Set how many separate soldering operations the piece takes, one per trip to the flame.
- 3.Add each joint type with how many there are and the step they are soldered in.
- 4.Read the grade for each step and the grams of each grade you need.
Why you solder from hard to easy
Jewelry solders come in grades by the temperature they flow at. Hard needs the most heat, easy the least. Make the first joint with hard and the second can be heated with medium without the first coming apart, and so on down to easy.
For a single joint, medium is a good choice: it flows well and holds strong. For two, hard then easy. For three, hard, medium and easy. Extra easy is for repairs and the last joint on a piece with many.
Gold solder should match the piece's karat: solder a 14K ring with 10K solder and the joint lowers the fineness and shows in the color. Solder for .925 silver is silver and copper, with zinc depending on the grade.
Grams per joint are starting values for common pieces; a well-fitted joint takes very little solder. Temperatures are approximate: check your supplier's data sheet.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between hard, medium and easy solder?
The temperature they flow at. Hard flows hottest and leaves the strongest joint, closest in color to the metal; easy flows coolest, with more zinc, and is easier to use but shows more.
Which solder do I use for a single joint?
Medium. It flows well and holds strong. Use hard if the piece will be enamelled or heated again later.
Can I solder 14K gold with 10K solder?
It works, but the joint holds less gold than the piece, shows a different tone and can leave the piece below its stamped fineness. Use karat-matched solder.
How much solder does a jump ring take?
Very little: a 1 × 1 mm snippet of sheet solder, about 0.004 g in silver. A joint that closes tight needs less solder than one with a gap.
What if a piece needs more than four soldering steps?
Repeat hard on joints far from each other and protect earlier ones with anti-flux, yellow ochre or a heat-sinking clamp. The calculator suggests the sequence.