Gold bars are refined gold products formed into stated weights and marked with identifying information. They belong to the bullion tradition of trading metal by weight and fineness rather than by a coin’s face value. Gram bars, fractional-ounce bars and larger ingots make that tradition available in different physical formats.
Refining, assaying and bar production
Refining separates and purifies metal. Assaying measures its composition. Casting shapes molten metal in a mold, while minting uses prepared blanks and dies for a more regular design. An assay card records product information associated with the packaged bar; it is different from a coin-grading holder and does not mean the bar has an MS70 or Proof 70 grade.
Gold bar purity and fine gold weight
Fineness describes how much of a material is gold. A .9999 marking represents 999.9 parts gold per thousand. Weight identifies a different property. One troy ounce is 31.1034768 grams, so one gram is approximately 0.0321507 troy ounce. A group of small bars must be compared by its combined fine gold quantity as well as the size of each piece.
Retail gold bars and wholesale bullion history
London’s bullion market developed around standardized metal and recognized refiners. LBMA Good Delivery gold bars are approximately 400 troy ounces and are not the same format as a small retail assay-packaged bar. A manufacturer’s wholesale accreditation does not make every one gram or one ounce product a Good Delivery bar.
What to check in this collection
Read both the fine metal quantity and the number of pieces included. A listing for several small bars is not the same format as one larger bar. Assay packaging, serial numbers and design details should be treated as product specific features rather than assumed for every bar from a refiner.
Details to compare in this category
- Metals: Gold.
- Formats: Bars.
- Mints or refiners: Argor-Heraeus, Credit Suisse, Engelhard, Johnson Matthey, and PAMP Suisse.
- Listed metal amounts: 0.5 g, 1 oz, 1/2 oz, 10 g, and 10 oz.
These are catalog comparison details, not a promise that every combination is available. Use the live product list and the individual description for the actual offering.
Examples of product descriptions
Catalog examples associated with this category include 1/2 oz Gold Bar - PAMP Fortuna (Carded), 100 gram Gold Bar - PAMP Fortuna (Carded), and 1 oz Gold Bar - Brand Varies .9999 (Carded). These illustrate how issue, format and condition can differ. Availability and product selection can change.
Related subjects
Learn about silver coins, silver bars, pre-1933 U.S. gold and graded coins. Product specifications and availability remain specific to each offering.
Historical and technical references: LBMA: bullion market history, LBMA: Good Delivery bars, NIST: weights and measures.
