ForMatter/Materials/metal/22k Yellow Gold
mat_gold_yellow_22k

22k Yellow Gold

precious metal alloy, high-purity yellow gold · 22 karat gold, 22kt, .916 gold, Indian standard gold
highlast updated 2026-04-27
metallic 0.00
hue shift +0°

91.7% gold — the standard of South Asian and Middle Eastern jewelry, where pure-yellow saturation matters more than ring durability. Soft enough to deform under hand pressure, rich enough in color that 18k looks pale next to it, and wearable as long as the design doesn't ask too much of it. Wedding bands cast in 22k are common across half the world and rare across the other half — and the choice is cultural, not metallurgical.

Au 91.7 / Ag ~5.5 / Cu ~2.8 typical (composition varies regionally). Single-phase solid solution with the alloying elements; not significantly age-hardenable. Vickers ~52 HV annealed, ~110 HV cold-worked. Liquidus ~990 °C. Color reads as saturated yellow because both Ag and Cu in low quantities preserve gold's intrinsic absorption-edge color signature.

mechanical

  • tensile_strength_mpa_annealed220
  • tensile_strength_mpa_cold_worked380
  • hardness_vickers_annealed52
  • hardness_vickers_cold_worked110
  • density_kg_m317700
source: World Gold Council technical reference; Untracht

thermal

  • liquidus_c990
  • solidus_c940
source: World Gold Council casting alloy reference

Sustainability

  • embodied carbon kg co2e per kg11500
  • 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 kg750
  • recyclabilityvery high — refiner-recoverable to fine gold and re-alloyed
  • biodegradableFalse
  • certificationsLBMA / RJC / Fairmined applicable to source bullion
visual
deeply saturated warm yellow, the reference color of "gold" in every culture that pre-dates modern Western fashion
tactile
soft, gives under hand pressure if a piece is thin-walled; takes the mirror polish gold lovers expect
weight perception
very 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        #e8c020
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": "#e8c020",
  "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
# 22k Yellow Gold · finish: metallic
import bpy
mat = bpy.data.materials.new(name="mat_gold_yellow_22k")
mat.use_nodes = True
bsdf = mat.node_tree.nodes["Principled BSDF"]
bsdf.inputs["Base Color"].default_value         = (0.807, 0.5271, 0.0144, 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
# 22k Yellow Gold · finish: metallic
# Run from Window → Scripting Console
import lux
mat = lux.createMaterial(name="mat_gold_yellow_22k", materialType="Generic")
mat.setProperty("diffuse",      (232, 192, 32))   # 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": "22k Yellow Gold \u00b7 finish: metallic",
  "baseColor": {
    "r": 0.807,
    "g": 0.5271,
    "b": 0.0144
  },
  "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_22k",
      "pbrMetallicRoughness": {
        "baseColorFactor": [
          0.807,
          0.5271,
          0.0144,
          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
# 22k Yellow Gold · finish: metallic
def Material "mat_gold_yellow_22k" {
    token outputs:surface.connect = </mat_gold_yellow_22k/PreviewSurface.outputs:surface>

    def Shader "PreviewSurface" {
        uniform token info:id = "UsdPreviewSurface"
        color3f inputs:diffuseColor = (0.807, 0.5271, 0.0144)
        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
Substitutes
Pure Gold (24 karat)
18k Yellow Gold

Citations