Steam gems: what they are and how to get more
Short answer
Gems are a Steam currency. You get them by breaking down trading cards, backgrounds and emoticons with “Turn into Gems”, and you spend them on booster packs, or pack 1,000 of them into a Sack of Gems you can sell or trade. Selling spare cards for gems often gets you several times more than breaking them down.
What are Steam gems?
Gems live in your Steam inventory, next to your trading cards. They have no use outside Steam: they exist to turn items you don’t want into items you do, mostly booster packs of trading cards.
How do you get gems?
| Way | You give | You get |
|---|---|---|
| Turn into Gems | A card, background or emoticon | A fixed amount set by Steam, often a few gems |
| Sell cards on CardsForGems | Spare trading cards and sets | A price based on the card’s market, shown before you trade |
| Buy a Sack of Gems | Steam Wallet funds, on the Community Market | 1,000 gems per sack |
Turn into Gems or sell? Real numbers
Two cards, today’s prices, before bonuses. Updated every hour.
What can you do with gems?
- Make booster packs for games you own, one pack per game per day. A pack holds 3 cards of the game and costs 6,000 gems divided by the number of cards in its set.
- Pack them into a Sack of Gems: 1,000 gems in one item you can sell on the Community Market or trade.
- Buy cards and sets in the CardsForGems Shop, from December.
| Cards in the set | Gems per pack |
|---|---|
| 5 | ◆ 1,200 |
| 6 | ◆ 1,000 |
| 10 | ◆ 600 |
| 15 | ◆ 400 |
How many gems are your cards worth?
Paste your Steam profile. You see what we would pay for your cards, and what Turn into Gems gives for most of them, without signing in.
Questions
Which items can be turned into gems?
Trading cards, profile backgrounds and emoticons. Open your Steam inventory, pick the item, then “Turn into Gems”. It can’t be undone.
Can I sell my gems?
Yes. Pack 1,000 gems into a Sack of Gems, then sell it on the Steam Community Market for Steam Wallet funds, or trade it.
How many gems is a trading card worth?
With Turn into Gems, Steam sets a fixed amount for each item, often a few gems. On CardsForGems the price follows the card’s market price. Paste your profile in Card value to see both.