Turn into Gems: how many gems you get, and when selling pays more
Short answer
“Turn into Gems” breaks a trading card, background or emoticon down into a fixed number of gems set by Steam. It is instant, but it often gives little: on today’s examples, selling the card to CardsForGems pays 2.8 to 7.5 times more.
Compare one card
Wandering MausoleumElden Ring
2.8× more by selling. Today’s prices, before bonuses, updated every hour.
Check your whole inventory at once:
How to use Turn into Gems
- Open your Steam inventory, on the Steam tab.
- Pick the card, background or emoticon.
- Click “Turn into Gems…”: Steam shows how many gems you will get.
- Confirm. The item is gone for good and the gems appear in your inventory.
Turn into Gems or sell?
| Turn into Gems | Sell to CardsForGems | |
|---|---|---|
| Gems | Fixed by Steam, often a few | Based on the card’s market price |
| Items | Cards, backgrounds, emoticons | Trading cards and sets, foils too |
| How | In your inventory, instant | A Steam trade offer, price shown first |
| Undo | No | Decline the offer before accepting |
When Turn into Gems is the right choice
- Backgrounds and emoticons. CardsForGems only buys trading cards, so breaking these down is a fair option.
- Cards nobody buys. When a card has no buyers on the market, we can’t price it either.
- A few gems right now. It is instant, with no trade to accept.
Questions
Can I undo Turn into Gems?
No. The item is destroyed when you confirm. If you might want to sell it, check its price first.
Why do some items give more gems than others?
Steam sets the amount for each item, and it differs from game to game. Steam shows it before you confirm.
What can I do with the gems?
Make booster packs, or pack 1,000 gems into a Sack of Gems you can sell or trade. Our Steam gems guide explains both.