TTRPG coin weight calculator.

What this calculator does

Forum threads about carrying treasure keep asking the same two questions: how much does one coin weigh, and how does a party move ten thousand gold. SRD 5.1 answers the first in one line: fifty coins weigh a pound. From that, a single coin is 16 ounces divided by 50, which is exactly 0.32 ounces. The rest is multiplication, and it adds up quickly.

Ten thousand gold pieces is 200 pounds, more than the 150-pound carrying capacity of a character with Strength 10. This page does the sums for a mixed pile of coins, lets you change the coins-per-pound figure for games and editions that use a different one, and shows how many characters' full capacity the hoard fills. It counts coins by number, not value, because a platinum piece weighs the same as a copper one.

Worked example

The party finds 10,000 gp. At 50 coins per pound that is 10,000 / 50 = 200 lb (90.72 kg), or 3,200 oz. Each coin is 16 / 50 = 0.32 oz. A character with Strength 10 has a carrying capacity of 150 lb, so this hoard is 1.33 times what that character can carry. It also fills 7 backpacks of 30 lb or 1 chest of 300 lb. A mixed pile of 1,000 gp, 500 sp and 300 cp is 1,800 coins, 36 lb, but worth only 1,053 gp: lots of small coins weigh far more per gold piece.

How it is calculated

Weight in pounds is the total number of coins divided by coins per pound (50 by default, from SRD 5.1). Kilograms use 1 lb = 0.45359237 kg. Ounces per coin are 16 divided by coins per pound. Backpacks and chests are the weight divided by the SRD container capacities of 30 lb for a backpack and 300 lb for a chest, rounded up. Carrying capacity is Strength score times 15 lb, per the SRD, and the variant encumbrance rule marks encumbered at Strength times 5 and heavily encumbered at Strength times 10. Coin count ignores coin type because every coin weighs the same.

The "Coinage" text and container capacity table of the Equipment chapter, and the "Lifting and Carrying" and variant encumbrance rules, in SRD 5.1. Last checked 2026-10-26.

What this does not cover

• Containers hold weight and volume; this tool checks weight only. A backpack also has a 1 cubic foot limit.
• Larger or smaller creatures have different carrying capacities. The SRD doubles capacity for each size category above Medium; the tool uses Medium.
• Gems, art and bars of metal are weighed by the table, not by this tool.
• Other editions list different coin weights. Change the coins-per-pound field to match yours.