If there’s one tool that seriously upgrades gold panning and rockhounding, it’s a sifter—also known as a sifting screen, classifier, or sieve.

These screens help you quickly separate larger rocks and debris from your material, so you're left with finer gravel and sand that’s more likely to contain gold. Gold tends to settle in the heavier material, so by screening out the big stuff, you make panning easier and more productive.

In rockhounding, a sifter is great for finding small fossils, garnets, agates, or Oregon sunstones in soil or sediments.

Choose different mesh sizes depending on what you’re looking for. A finer mesh helps catch the good stuff, while a coarser one screens out larger debris.

What Makes a Good Sifter?

Sifting screen is a simple tool, but there are a few things to remember when picking one. When choosing a gold panning or rockhounding sifter, here's what I look for:

Durability – You want stainless steel or galvanized mesh. It's strong, doesn't rust, and lasts for years.

Mesh size – This is key. Different minerals need different mesh openings.

Here's a quick mesh guide:

1/2" Large rocks, initial sifting
1/4" Medium gems, garnets, fossils
1/8" Fine gold, small crystals
1/20" Very fine gold, black sand cleanup

Pro tip: Stack your screens! Start with 1/2", then 1/4", and finish with 1/8". You'll sort material fast and keep what matters.

Stackability – Especially for gold, stackable plastic classifiers help you sort materials quickly. Start big, end small.

Best Sifting Screens for Gold Panning and Rockhounding

If you're ready to add a screen to your kit, here are two solid picks we have used in the field (and at home). These will last you a LONG time and will not break your bank.