How much for adamantine nugget?

[Darigaaz the Igniter]

How much to units of special materials cost when not refined into items already? The PRD (specifically the arms & equipment guide) has what appears to be prices for all the special material. Except when you read it, they are either 850gp/55lbs or 350sp/45lbs. It makes almost no sense mathematically, and it has stuff such as alchemical silver being the same price by weight as admantine.

My group just found a 6oz chunk of adamantine and we don't know how much to sell it for.

[Kayerloth]

I don't have access to the Arms and Equipment guide.

Sounds chalk full of campaign specific questions. For example, is the nugget more like gold than iron ore -> How much processing will it take to be useable to make armor or weapons? How rare is it in the campaign to even have adamantine armor or weapons?

If it were me ingame I'd might try:
1) Ask around trying to buy some? Half that or so should at least put you in the ballpark, a place to start your bartering.
2) Do any of my (or the groups) Knowledge or Lore abilities give me a hint?
3) Appraise?
4) Ask others? Sages, Bards, Weapon and Armor Smiths or other "Professionals".
5) Post a note asking for offers (best offer gets it). Probably best done in a larger settlement but a smaller one famous for its smiths might do as well.

PS Adamantine Battle Axe 3010gp for 6 lbs, Adamantine Dagger 3002gp for 1 lbs. Make of that what you will but the Axe is 6 times heavier for nearly no change in cost (but consistent with the +3000gp for being made of Adamantine). The underlying question is how much of the 1 pound dagger made of pure (or nearly so) Adamantine vs Steel with Adamantine added for its properties. Is it Iron vs Steel vs Titanium Steel so to speak. The metallurgical engineers may now step in.

[Darigaaz the Igniter]

Well the problem is that our GM doesn't know how much we can sell this thing for (or what we might be able to use it for) now that we've found it.

[AnnoyingOrange]

Since the rules are deliberately vague on this issue I think the GM just should stick it at a gold value of say 3,000 gold worth of finished goods, possibly calculate a 10% crafting cost or so. Basically the GM has to wing it one way or another, this is what I would do, 450 gold per ounce of pure adamantine works for me.

[Eridan]

You dont need a rule for everything. We can give you some basic guidelines but RAW is not clear in case of special materials etc. Your GM should define a gold value for the "treasure" and not by weight.

In the books are treasure values based on the group level and the CR of the treasure related monsters. Are the adamantine nuggets a huge treasure? Ok fine .. it is super pure adamantine worth of 10.000gp per oz. Is it only a small treasure? Fine too .. it is contaminated adamantine worth of 1.000gp. The whole craftings system works with a gold value (you need ~4.400gp to craft a +1 weapon, there are no special material requirements) and in the same way a GM should use it for treasures.

So it is up to your GM ..