Calculate total US coin weight from penny, nickel, dime, quarter, half dollar, and dollar counts, or estimate coin count and value by weight.

Blank counts mean zero. Use modern clad coins and small dollar coins; exclude the jar.

The copper preset excludes 1943 steel and early large/copper-nickel cents. Verify transition-year coins.

Coin Weight Formula

The following formula is used to calculate the weight of a jar or collection of coins.

W = P*2.5 + N*5 + d*2.268 + Q*5.670 + HD*11.340 + D*8.1

  • Where W is the weight in grams
  • P is the number of pennies
  • N is the number of nickels
  • d is the number of dimes
  • Q is the number of quarters
  • HD is the number of half dollars
  • D is the number of dollar coins

Coin Weight Definition

A coin weight is the total weight of a collection of coins determined by the amount of each type of coin and their respective weights.

The weights of each coin are standardized by the US Mint and made to a specific tolerance.

US Coin Weights

The table lists nominal modern circulating-coin masses. Older silver coins and large dollars differ. Use the penny-type selector for the older 3.11 g copper small cent; it excludes 1943 steel cents and other early types.

CoinWeight (grams)
Penny2.5 g
Nickel5 g
Dime2.268 g
Quarter5.670 g
Half Dollar11.340 g
Dollar8.1 g (small dollar)

Example Problem

How to calculate the weight of a jar of coins?

First, determine the numbers of each individual coin.

For this example, the coins are separated and counted. The results are as follows:

  • Pennies: 20
  • Nickels: 5
  • Dimes: 4
  • Quarters: 20
  • Half Dollar: 10
  • Dollar: 1

Next, enter the values into the formula above to calculate the coin weight:

W = P*2.5 + N*5 + d*2.268 + Q*5.670 + HD*11.340 + D*8.1

= 20*2.5+5*5+4*2.268+20*5.670 + 10*11.340+1*8.1

= 318.972 grams

To convert this into pounds, divide the result by 453.59237

= 318.972/453.59237

= 0.703213 lb