ForMatter/Materials/metal/14k Yellow Gold
mat_gold_yellow_14k

14k Yellow Gold

precious metal alloy, U.S. mainstream yellow gold · 14 karat gold, 14kt, .585 gold, 585 yellow
highlast updated 2026-04-27
metallic 0.00
hue shift +0°

58.5% gold — the American fine-jewelry default, harder and cheaper than 18k and pale enough next to 22k that the difference is visible across a counter. The dominant alloy in U.S. wedding bands and signet rings, not because it's metallurgically better than 18k but because the U.S. market settled there and stayed. Wears like a workhorse, polishes well, and accepts the same casting and fabrication processes as the rest of the family.

Au 58.5 / Ag ~25 / Cu ~16.5 nominal. Below the 18k threshold the alloy enters territory where Ag/Cu ratio becomes the dominant color driver; small Ag-rich shifts produce visibly paler yellows, small Cu-rich shifts push toward warmer reddish tones. Vickers ~155 HV cold-worked. Liquidus ~830 °C. Hallmark .585 in European markets.

mechanical

  • tensile_strength_mpa_annealed320
  • tensile_strength_mpa_cold_worked620
  • hardness_vickers_annealed80
  • hardness_vickers_cold_worked155
  • density_kg_m313070
source: World Gold Council; Untracht

thermal

  • liquidus_c830
  • solidus_c800
source: World Gold Council casting alloy reference

Sustainability

  • embodied carbon kg co2e per kg7900
  • sourceEditorial estimate from ICE / Granta CES EduPack class databases — industry mean, with cradle-to-gate boundary unless otherwise noted. Embodied carbon for any specific product depends on supplier mix, recycled content, and energy grid; verify against a primary source before using these numbers in a sustainability claim.
  • embodied carbon recycled kg co2e per kg510
  • recyclabilityvery high — refiner-recoverable
  • biodegradableFalse
  • certificationsLBMA / RJC / Fairmined applicable to source bullion
visual
noticeably paler than 18k yellow side-by-side, still unmistakably warm gold rather than silver-tinted
tactile
harder under hand pressure than 18k, more abrasion-tolerant
weight perception
heavy

PBR starter values

Principled BSDF defaults derived from the sphere metallic finish. Reasonable seed for Blender, Substance, Keyshot, Rhino — tune per material.

# finish:      metallic
albedo        #c9a85e
metallic      1.00
roughness     0.25
ior           1.45
transmission  0.00
clearcoat     0.00
sheen         0.00
anisotropic   0.00
copy as JSON 
{
  "albedo": "#c9a85e",
  "metallic": 1.0,
  "roughness": 0.25,
  "ior": 1.45,
  "transmission": 0.0,
  "clearcoat": 0.0,
  "sheen": 0.0,
  "anisotropic": 0.0
}
Blender 4.x Python 
# Blender 4.x — Principled BSDF
# 14k Yellow Gold · finish: metallic
import bpy
mat = bpy.data.materials.new(name="mat_gold_yellow_14k")
mat.use_nodes = True
bsdf = mat.node_tree.nodes["Principled BSDF"]
bsdf.inputs["Base Color"].default_value         = (0.5841, 0.3916, 0.1119, 1.0)
bsdf.inputs["Metallic"].default_value           = 1.000
bsdf.inputs["Roughness"].default_value          = 0.250
bsdf.inputs["IOR"].default_value                = 1.450
bsdf.inputs["Transmission Weight"].default_value = 0.000
bsdf.inputs["Coat Weight"].default_value        = 0.000
bsdf.inputs["Sheen Weight"].default_value       = 0.000
bsdf.inputs["Anisotropic"].default_value        = 0.000
KeyShot Python (lux) 
# KeyShot 11+ — lux Python API, Generic material
# 14k Yellow Gold · finish: metallic
# Run from Window → Scripting Console
import lux
mat = lux.createMaterial(name="mat_gold_yellow_14k", materialType="Generic")
mat.setProperty("diffuse",      (201, 168, 94))   # 8-bit sRGB
mat.setProperty("metallic",     1.000)
mat.setProperty("roughness",    0.250)
mat.setProperty("indexOfRefraction", 1.450)
mat.setProperty("transparency", 0.000)
mat.setProperty("coatingWeight", 0.000)
Substance pbrMetalRough 
{
  "_format": "Substance Designer / Painter \u2014 pbrMetalRough constants",
  "_about": "14k Yellow Gold \u00b7 finish: metallic",
  "baseColor": {
    "r": 0.5841,
    "g": 0.3916,
    "b": 0.1119
  },
  "metallic": 1.0,
  "roughness": 0.25,
  "ior": 1.45,
  "opacity": 1.0,
  "anisotropyLevel": 0.0,
  "_notes": "Channels listed are the standard Substance pbrMetalRough output. Drop into a Uniform Color node per channel, or as the constant input on a layered stack."
}
glTF 2.0 Metallic-Roughness 
{
  "asset": {
    "version": "2.0",
    "generator": "ForMatter"
  },
  "materials": [
    {
      "name": "mat_gold_yellow_14k",
      "pbrMetallicRoughness": {
        "baseColorFactor": [
          0.5841,
          0.3916,
          0.1119,
          1.0
        ],
        "metallicFactor": 1.0,
        "roughnessFactor": 0.25
      },
      "extensions": {
        "KHR_materials_ior": {
          "ior": 1.45
        }
      }
    }
  ]
}
USD Preview Surface 
# USD Preview Surface — UsdShade.MaterialLook prim attributes
# 14k Yellow Gold · finish: metallic
def Material "mat_gold_yellow_14k" {
    token outputs:surface.connect = </mat_gold_yellow_14k/PreviewSurface.outputs:surface>

    def Shader "PreviewSurface" {
        uniform token info:id = "UsdPreviewSurface"
        color3f inputs:diffuseColor = (0.5841, 0.3916, 0.1119)
        float   inputs:metallic     = 1.000
        float   inputs:roughness    = 0.250
        float   inputs:ior          = 1.450
        float   inputs:opacity      = 1.000
        float   inputs:clearcoat    = 0.000
        token   outputs:surface
    }
}
↓ download glTF material
ProcessBrazing · Laser Cutting · SLA 3D Printing (Stereolithography) · CNC Milling · Sandblasting (Abrasive Blasting)
Substitutes
18k Yellow Gold
14k Rose Gold
14k Green Gold

Citations